PM Najib: Donald Trump Is Very Impressed By Malaysia's Economic Growth
The economy recorded a 4.3% growth in the past quarter.
By Samantha Khor — 29 Nov 2016, 12:25 PM
PM Najib Razak has revealed that US president-elect Donald Trump is very impressed that Malaysia recorded a 4.3% economic growth in the past quarter of the year
Speaking at TV3's 'Soal Jawab' programme last night, 28 November, Najib said, "I talked to President-elect Trump two nights ago. He had asked about Malaysia's economy and I told him that we had recorded 4.3% growth in the third quarter of this year."
"(Trump said) if that is so, Malaysia's economy is very good. For the United States, (Trump said) it is growing at one per cent and he wants to see a 4% growth (for the US). That was the spontaneous reaction from the President-elect," he added.
As for how a Trump presidency may affect Malaysia's economy, Najib - who also serves as Finance Minister - explained that it's too early to make conclusions as Trump has realised that the promises he made during the election campaign may not be as easily fulfilled as he thought it'd be
Najib said that some of Trump's statements or plans may cause unease and negative reactions from other nations.
"Trump is now thinking of what he should do once he assumes the presidency in Januaray 2017. For me, we are in an uncertain situation and it is too soon to make any conclusion on what the new policies by Trump's administration would be," he said, adding that the global community should not jump to conclusions yet.
Najib also rubbished claims that Malaysia is heading into bankruptcy, saying that the allegations were not supported by credible facts and that there was no indication from credit rating agency Moody that the country is in trouble
"When I met Moody's representatives recently, there was no indicator from them that Malaysia was in trouble. Otherwise the ratings body would have informed me," Najib said.
"I met the International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde and she did not give any impression that we are in a crisis. When I look at all of these and supported by facts, the claims that we will be a failed state and bankrupt are political attacks which we need to explain to the people."
He also advised the people to not harp on the ringgit's recent performance against the US dollar, adding that it's not as bad as claimed by certain quarters and that other currencies are actually doing worse than the ringgit
"There are other currencies whose performances are worse than the ringgit. There are also currencies which are performing better. We sit in the middle," he explained.
"If we look in terms of a basket of currencies, we have not dropped much, only with the US dollar. So, this is an external effect which is beyond our control."