Despite political shifts taking place in Malaysia from early 2020 to late 2022, its economy has attracted sizeable foreign direct investments (FDIs), DBS Group Research’s findings show. In the first of a two-part series exploring FDI dynamics in the Asean-6 (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines) on the back of China+1 shifts, the bank-backed research house found that FDI inflows into the bloc, as a proportion of world inflows, have exceeded those going into China over the past two years.

Malaysia’s FDI inflows pick up on China+1 policy 

In March, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told parliament in a written reply that it would take 30 years to pay off Putrajaya’s debts and liabilities — provided that no new debts are incurred and all loans maturing 
from 2024 are paid off.

Weighing Malaysia’s debt burden

Asset prices saw a 2.7% decline in 2022 globally, the strongest drop since the global financial crisis in 2008, according to Allianz Research.

Inflation hurts investments and savings

A whopping 64% of Malaysians say they have experienced some form of discrimination in the past 12 months, owing to their socioeconomic status, age and ethnicity, according to the findings of a survey conducted by Malaysian youth-led non-profit organisation Architects of Diversity. The survey, which analysed 3,238 responses from participants aged 18 and above between Aug 4 and 23, 2023, found that Gen Z (aged 18 to 24) were more likely to report having experienced ethnicity-related discrimination (43%) than their older peers (22% of those aged 60 and above; 23% of those aged 40 to 59). Both men and women reported having experienced gender-related discrimination at similar rates (21% and 27% respectively).

Glaring Socioeconomic, racial discrimination in Malaysian society

The mid-term review of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on Sept 13, with fresh policies and strategies aimed at tackling the nation’s current challenges, emphasising the pivotal role of technology and digital-based industries in resolving these issues.

12MP review: Supercharging digitalisation and advanced technology

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