'Mountain' of problems when I took over Putrajaya, says PM
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob at 2022 Wanita Umno Convention at World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) today.
KUALA LUMPUR - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said he had inherited a 'mountain' of problems when he took over Putrajaya as the borders were closed and the jobless rate was high.
“I had to face a mountain of problems when I inherited the PM position, our economy was constrained and our borders were closed," he said during his speech at the 2022 Wanita Umno Convention at World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) today.
Border and economic lockdowns were carried out during Bersatu's Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's premiership.
Ismail Sabri added the move saw people losing jobs and they had to depend on financial aid from the government.
Due to that, one of the earliest initiatives he said was to reopen borders while assuring investors and employers that economic activities will not be disrupted.
“My administration focused on employment issues by initiating policies to help economic recovery.
He said at present 400,000 people have been employed and the employment rate fell from 4.3 per cent to 3.8 per cent with an increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the fourth quarter with RM26.7 billion at the end of 2021 and RM23.2 billion in the first quarter of 2022.
The second quarter of 2022 saw RM24.1 billion being invested in the country.
Due to this, he urged the rakyat to rely on data and not to trust claims that foreign companies were no longer keen to invest in Malaysia.
“Not just the FDI, but the value of our wholesale and retail sales also recorded the best performance since 2013 with the latest data of RM132.8 million for June 2022," he said, contributing to 8.9 per cent to gross domestic product (GDP).
He also said inflation remains the lowest in southeast Asia at 3.4 per cent due to the government's intervention through various programmes.
However, he said the rakyat must also benefit from the progress.
“Today's government is inclusive and we do not want anyone to be left behind from the progress, this includes women,” he added.
