Azmin: Unlike Najib, I didn't ‘beg on my knees’ for FDI

For Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali, the biggest difference between him and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is not having to “beg” for foreign direct investment.

"I did not go to foreign powers to beg on my knees," he said.

In yesterday’s Budget 2018 announcement, Najib said that he had learned of Azmin’s trip to China, and wondered if the menteri besar was trying to “sell Selangor.”

Najib's critics have often accused him of doing the same to Malaysia, by taking on loans and contractors from China.

Azmin (photo) said that he had gone to China to participate in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Conference, where he spoke of policies and programmes that the Selangor government has implemented.

"Unlike Najib, he went to the White House and submitted himself, and claimed that he used the rakyat's money to invest in infrastructure in America.

"For what? I mean, you should get more investment coming to Malaysia, like what we did in Selangor," he told reporters in Shah Alam today.

Azmin also claimed that support from foreign investors for the state is "stable and sustainable."

"Even the Department of Statistics confirmed that our FDI is strong. This shows that foreign investors have confidence in us.

"This is unlike Najib who brought the rakyat's money to invest in America…It has enough, it doesn't need our contributions."

Najib, during his trip to the US last month, told President Donald Trump that he wanted to help strengthen the US economy.

Among the deals Najib and Trump had agreed on during the meeting was that the Malaysian aviation industry would buy up to US$20 billion of US-made passenger planes and aircraft engines.

Najib had also announced that the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) would increase its US investments by up to US$4 billion.

Meanwhile, Azmin also confirmed that the state government is planning to increase development in the state, which will be announced in the state budget, slated for a Nov 3 announcement.

"InsyaAllah on Nov 3, I will announce new initiatives to show that we want to spend more on development rather than operations," he said.

Azmin pointed out how Selangor had increased its expenditure for development to more than 50 percent in the last three years, and reduced its operational expenditure to less than 50 percent.

"For 2017, our operational expenditures went down to 48 percent and our developmental expenditures went up to 52 percent. Selangor is the only state in Malaysia that managed to do this.

"This is why I said that the (federal budget) is irresponsible, as how can only 16 percent be used for development to generate the economy?" he asked.

Malaysiakini's Budget 2018 microsite

- Mkini