BUSINESS-FRIENDLY and welcoming to foreign investment.

That is the image that many Malaysians want the country to project. This is not just a question of big businesses for the benefit of a few but that of actual policies to attract the much-needed foreign investment in an ailing economy.

That starts by putting on a business-friendly face and doing away with protocols. This certainly seems to be the gist of a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin who is part of the newly minted five-member PKR President’s Office Secretariat to address issues which crop up in the country’s political landscape.

The former agriculture and agro-based industry deputy minister was alluding to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dispensing with usual protocols to see off visiting Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Sim further lauded the move to get ministers and senior civil servants to listen to Nadella speak, underlining that the Madani administration is on the same page as the tech giant. This is crucial in light of the RM10.6 bil that Microsoft has agreed to pump into the Malaysian economy.

The post which has been viewed 635,400 times at the time of writing is a timely reminder to many Malaysians perpetually stuck in domestic gutter politics that there are important issues that need tackling. This includes putting on the charm offensive to attract foreign investors.

PMX’s move was lauded by some.

While some did not.

Some though said being “business-friendly” was much more than sending off a visiting VVIP.

Others said this was an example of simping of the worst kind.

One netizen retorted that this was the reality of business.

As most Malaysians know, the current political climate has it that PMX is in a situation whereby ‘he is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t’.

However, it is worth noting that such images and headlines are far preferable to ones about being targeted by “mysterious foreign agents” for having a pro-Palestine stance.

It also sends out the message that the country is open to American investment despite the negative perception created by boycotters towards brands such as KFC, McDonald’s and Starbucks (all locally owned but targeted for their supposed American and/or pro-Israeli ties).

It is worth asking if such a move would have been carried out by a Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration. Can anyone actually picture Tan Sri Hadi Abdul Awang doing the same?

Objections to capitalist manoeuvres aside, the political and economic reality is that this needed to be done. The Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition is being judged on its ability to steer the country’s economy out of choppy waters.

Protocol be damned. The well-being of the economy comes first. Those who object are free to vote for the opposition or post further comments on social media using their Microsoft-powered devices. - May 3, 2024

https://focusmalaysia.my/pmx-lauded-for-pro-business-approach-by-personally-sending-off-out-going-microsoft-chief/