Malaysia’s financial-economic woes deepen with lack of political will to address concerns

 No News Is Bad News

Above are two very sane advices for racial and religious bigots to note.

Malaysia’s financial-economic woes deepen with lack of political will to address concerns

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24, 2023: World Bank economist Apurva Sanghi says there are too many policies but no effective implementation (for economic growth).

“The implementation of Malaysia’s social assistance programmes is ‘fragmented’, perpetuating inequalities,”  he added.

However, that is only one aspect of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his so-called Madani Unity Government (UG)'s  many governance deficiency.

Religious extremism and the UG’s lack of political will to stop racial and religious bigotry have and are affecting investors’ decision-making in Malaysia.

This has, thus, emboldened the Taliban-like PAS and Perikatan Nasional (PN), led by the racist Muhyiddin “I Am Malay First” Yassin.

No News Is Bad News reproduces above a video clip of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s speech on why “Singapore cannot afford to follow Malaysia’s socio-economic path” and other related news reports below:

Too many policies but no effective implementation, says World Bank economist

Apurva Sanghi says the implementation of Malaysia’s social assistance programmes is ‘fragmented’, perpetuating inequalities.

Ameer Fakhri - 24 Nov 2023, 9:35am

World Bank economist Apurva Sanghi noted that there are 70 agencies providing skills training, and 35 agencies providing SME support programmes in the country. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is inundated with policies that “look good on paper” whereas the real challenge lies in effective implementation, says an economist.

“Malaysia has too many plans and policies. We know what needs to be done in this country, and it is really the implementation part that needs to be focused on,” World Bank economist Apurva Sanghi said in a Keluar Sekejap podcast.

He said the implementation of social assistance programmes in the country has been fragmented, adding that there are too many similar programmes being handled by different agencies.

“For example, you have 70 agencies that provide some sort of skills training, and 35 agencies that provide SME support programmes.

“This proliferation and fragmentation hinder implementation. Because of this successive fragmentation, people don’t know where to go to seek assistance, and it perpetuates inequalities,” he said.

Apurva said the issue of fragmentation has been dealt with by Malaysia before, citing the estimated 180 SOPs at the beginning of Covid-19 outbreak, which were later consolidated into one SOP through the MySejahtera application.

Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, one of the hosts of the programme, attributed the fragmentation issue to a “lack of political will”.

Asked about the factors that had contributed to the low productivity rate in Malaysia, Apurva said it was due to low total investment, a poor education system, and malnutrition.

He said the learning poverty rate in the country is at 40%, higher than most countries in the region.

“If you don’t get the schooling right, especially at the early primary and pre-schooling stage, you’re not going to get much (results in improving the country’s productivity growth),” he said.

Consequently, he said, the low productivity rate has led to a gradual decline in the country’s export rate, dropping from around 120% of exports to GDP in 2000 to just 73% in 2022.

He attributed this to the failure to liberalise the country’s economy, adding that past governments have failed to make the economy more competitive in segments where it can be developed.