Azmin has failed and must go, says Sabah PKR youth

 

Sabah PKR Youth information chief Razeef Rakimin is unhappy with senior minister for economy Mohamed Azmin Ali over the reported 68% drop in foreign direct investments.

PETALING JAYA: A PKR Youth leader has called on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to sack Mohamed Azmin Ali from the Cabinet for failing to carry out his duties well as a minister.

In a statement, Sabah PKR Youth information chief Razeef Rakimin said the prime minister should replace the senior minister for economy with someone who prioritised the nation’s economy over his personal agenda.

“I see only two ways for Perikatan Nasional (PN) to slightly boost the economy; either Azmin resigns for his failures as a senior minister or Muhyiddin sacks Azmin,” he said, adding that Azmin’s performance proved he was not fit for the big role.

“Umno Youth recently urged Azmin to step forward and explain the immediate measures the government will take to manage the 68% drop in foreign direct investments (FDI), which is far worse than other Asean countries.

“Many countries in the world face a Covid-19 crisis worse than Malaysia, but they managed to face the economic crisis well and investors’ confidence in these countries did not wane,” he said.

Razeef said investors did not have confidence in Malaysia’s economic capabilities, all the more when the government is ruling without a parliamentary majority.

He added that the PN government had gone from “failure to failure” in managing the economy during the movement control order since last year, saying investors had pulled the brakes on investing in Malaysia.

“This clearly proves that Azmin does not deserve to hold a ministerial post, what more one related to the economy. He’s seen as unable to usher in investments and to seek initiatives to develop the economy.”

Malaysia recorded a 68% decline in FDI to US$2.5 billion in 2020, according to a recently released United Nations report, prompting Umno Youth to urge Azmin to explain the decline.

But Azmin has maintained that investor confidence has not waned, citing Moody’s latest affirmation of Malaysia’s local and foreign currency long-term issue ratings at A3, with a stable outlook.

Total exports hit a high of RM95.7 billion in December, driven by the rubber, electrical and electronics, as well as the palm oil and palm oil-based agriculture sectors. - FMT