M'sia now stable, rural Malays warming to Madani govt - PM tells CNN

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed confidence in the country’s current and near-future stability, citing positive political shifts and growing public support for his government.

In a recent interview with CNN’s Richard Quest, Anwar pointed out the shift in public support, particularly from rural Malay Muslims towards government parties in the past year and recent by-elections. 

“I think stability for now, and for the near future, is quite settled,” Anwar stated, adding that the shift in support reflects growing confidence in his administration’s approach.

Excerpts from the interview were shared on Quest’s X account.

However, Anwar emphasised that this stability must not be used to entrench political elites but rather to serve the interests of the people.

“It’s important to assure the public that this stability is for them,” he stated, pointing to the need for clear and efficient policies, as well as a focus on good governance.

At the heart of his agenda is a relentless commitment to combatting corruption, which he has termed a “crusade” for the nation.

Meanwhile, Anwar said any form of protectionism will affect countries in terms of trade and investment.

He said, for example, 26 percent of Malaysia’s microchips were exported to the United States.

“Whether or not we join Brics, protectionist policies will affect us. I mean a huge (portion of) microchips and semiconductors were exported to the US, and (any protectionist measures) will certainly affect us,” said Anwar in the interview.

Anwar, who is also finance minister, was responding to a question on whether the new administration under Donald Trump might lead to the introduction of protectionist policies in the future that could affect Malaysia.

This will be Trump’s second non-consecutive term running the office, after serving as the US 45th president from 2017 to 2021.

According to news reports recently, the US president-elect’s promise of imposing baseline tariffs of 10 percent on all goods imports has already sent shivers around the world’s manufacturers.

Meanwhile, on Brics, Anwar reiterated that the country’s interest in the intergovernmental organisation is largely in economic and trade ties due to its huge potential with Malaysia as a trading nation. 

“I mean we have benefitted immensely from our collaborations with the US and Europe, and now China is growing, and with Brics we are opening up further avenues to enhance trade and investment,” he explained.

On Oct 24, Malaysia was officially recognised as a Brics partner, along with 12 other countries, namely Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Brics, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India and China, was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for rapidly developing economies. South Africa joined in 2010 and the bloc later expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The grouping represents about 40 percent of the global population and contributes a cumulative gross domestic product of US$26.6 trillion, or 26.2 percent of the global GDP, nearly on par with the economic strength of the Group of Seven (G7) countries.

- Bernama

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