KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has once again reiterated that Malaysia welcomed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from investors with open arms, provided that it also benefits Malaysians.
Dr Mahathir explained that the government allowed, accepted and encouraged FDI as it believes that it still has a role to play in the country’s development, but pointed out that buying land to build settlements for foreigners was unacceptable.
These remarks were a veiled reference to the Forest City development project in Johor.
“Malaysia is friendly towards the private sector and we will help them generate profit, be it local or foreign investors.
“We will be very hospitable to them and we do not discriminate against any particular country or people because we want the investment to benefit the investors themselves,” he said during his closing address at the Khazanah Megatrends Forum 2018 today.
Dr Mahathir pointed out that FDI to Malaysia meant bringing in capital and technology to provide the country with investment benefits.
“Most importantly, it creates opportunities for our people and contributes to the growth of the nation.
“We will help them as much as we can. It is also good for the government because normally, we do not invest a single cent, but we would like a percentage of their profit when they do well,” he quipped.
He said the government was ready to listen to investors’ suggestions or grouses in order to improve the existing environment to cater to their investment.
“We have an agenda and we hope this agenda will bear fruit in terms of the nation’s growth and wealth,” he said.
