Govt parties against sabotage bids, says PM

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today said that all political parties in the coalition government have expressed their commitment not to entertain any attempt to sabotage the government led by him.

He said the support was shown by the leaders of Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah during the unity government national convention held yesterday at World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

"The assembly (convention) has assured that at least for years to come, no attempts of sabotaging will be entertained," he said at the prime minister's department monthly assembly in Putrajaya.

He said the convention was a clear indication that the coalition government was strong and stable.

The government's journey is now more organised and some of the programmes implemented have helped to strengthen the country, he added.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said the existing political stability in the country had contributed to several good performances, including the better-than-expected gross domestic product expansion of 5.6% in the first quarter of 2023.

"If you look at the figures from the Department of Statistics, the first quarter is much better than what was projected in November and December last year... inflation decreased, the number of unemployment also decreased and investment increased," he said.

On Friday, Anwar said the government was confident of achieving its economic growth forecast of 4.0% to 5.0% for 2023 despite the global economic challenges and uncertainties, supported by strong economic fundamentals and implementation of budget 2023 measures.

He said the increase in investment in Malaysia required all parties at the central and state levels to work simultaneously to enable a smooth investment process.

"States and municipalities must work together so that the approval level can be accelerated. This will ensure that we can maintain a more convincing pace of growth and highlight commitment and seriousness," he said.

Previously, Anwar said that the investment projects from China, involving Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely) and Rongsheng Petrochemical Co., are expected to start by May.

Geely's investment projects are in Pahang and Tanjung Malim, Perak, while Rongsheng's projects are in Pengerang, Johor and Terengganu.