Fact-check: What did Anwar say about ringgit's performance?

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim claimed that a Malaysiakini columnist had allegedly used different wording in translating his statement on the ringgit’s performance.

“I mentioned in Sabah that the ringgit’s position, in terms of its highest increase in Asia, was significant.

“Some people misunderstood and said the PM was wrong. Watch the video again; it’s about the highest increase in Asia,” he said, before going on to emphasise the importance of having a strong command of the Malay language and expressing hope that Malaysiakini would make a correction.

While Anwar had pinned the blame on Malaysiakini’s columnist, the issue stemmed from Bernama’s original reporting of his speech on the ringgit.

The columnist in question, P Gunasegaram, had quoted Anwar’s comments based on a Bernama report, but what exactly did Anwar have to say about the ringgit?

Based on a video of his speech, which was shared on Anwar’s YouTube channel, the premier had said: “Ini isu pokok. Buat apa kita gaduh? Kerana kita bersamalah ringgit kita terkuat dalam masa 14 tahun. Hari ini ringgit paling kuat dalam masa 14 tahun, paling kuat dalam Asia peningkatannya.

“Kenapa apa? Bukan kerana jasa saya, bukan kerana Anwar. Kerana dasar Kerajaan, kerana kekuatan dan kemuafakatan kita.

[This is a fundamental issue. Why should we quarrel? It is because we are united that our ringgit is the strongest in 14 years. Today, the ringgit is its strongest in 14 years, the strongest in Asia in its rise.]

[Why is that? It is not because of my doing, not because of Anwar. It is because of government policies, and because of our strength and (mutual) understanding.]

Anwar made the speech on Aug 4 at the Sabah PKR Convention in Kota Kinabalu.

Accordingly, both Malay and English versions of Bernama’s report on the speech led with paraphrasing Anwar saying that the ringgit is “at its strongest level in 14 years due to the unity government’s policies and collective efforts to develop the country”.

Bernama’s report

It also has a direct quote of Anwar saying, “Ringgit juga paling kuat dalam Asia (The ringgit is also the strongest in Asia)”. The word ‘juga’ (also) is not present in the actual speech and is likely added for clarity.

The national newswire service’s story was subsequently picked up by various other media outlets, including Malaysiakini, and became the basis for Gunasegaram’s article rebutting Anwar’s assertion.

As of the time of writing this fact-check, the article is no longer accessible through Bernama’s website. Attempts to access the relevant web pages are being redirected to the website’s homepage without any notice.

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