MALAYSIA was rated the 16th best investment destination by the United Nations this year. We have improved our position from 19th last year to 16th.
This puts us on a par with France and Canada. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development also ranked Malaysia 11th among the top 20 economies with the highest foreign direct investment (FDI) rates of return.
This is an excellent indicator to show that Malaysia continues to be a profitable centre.
On the same note, the AT Kearny Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index shows that we have dropped from 10th to 25th position, which is the last position measured.
This report is based on a survey of 300 senior executives of the world leading corporations. It showed that these global corporations may have initially been attracted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Economic Transformation Programme.
The reports are an excellent indicator and we can either rejoice or sit back and reflect. There may be a thousand reasons for our nation to fail, but there is only one reason to succeed — that is to realise our mistakes and transform into a better nation.
We are under a massive transformation programme, thanks to the efforts and initiatives of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit, Malaysian Investment Development Authority, Ministry of International Trade and Industry and all the investment-related agencies working like a power horse to bring in investors.
These efforts at the national level are commendable. However, how many of us know what is happening to investors who are here and struggling with the third engine of growth, that is, the local authorities?
In Klang and Port Klang, investors have no access to good roads, telecommunication facilities, eating outlets, functioning street lights, clean environment, a working drainage and viable waste management system, good landscaping and proper workers’ hostel facilities.
There is not even a police beat base at industrial estates, such as the Taiwanese Industrial Area in Bandar Sultan Sulaiman.
It is sad to hear the response from the local authority, which say that it does not have the budget to repair the roads, provide better landscaping, waste management facilities, canteens and parking for the trailers and haulers who ply the area and the nearby ports, that is Northport and Westport.
The office of the local authority has been without a mayor for the last eight months. There is no one-stop centre to tackle investors’ woes and no follow through on the problems reported by them.
There are some investors who are ceasing operations and moving to neighbouring countries.
Can the federal officers provide an awareness programme for local authority officers on the importance of maintaining facilities and utilities so that the investors will enjoy a good stay in our country?
Port Klang and Klang house hundreds of companies and it is the 12th busiest transshipment port in the world today. Port Klang generated RM134 billion in exports and RM111 billion in imports for our nation. Port Klang generated RM3.2 billion FDI in 2011 and provides 96,000 jobs for Malaysians.
It is of paramount interest to our nation to ensure the local authorities are equipped to handle foreign investors and their needs.
The role of the local authority is critical in ensuring the FDI returns to our nation. Each local authority must be held responsible for every exit of an investor from their area. There must be a post-mortem conducted and the responsible local authority must be held responsible for its neglect and lackadaisical attitude.
This puts us on a par with France and Canada. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development also ranked Malaysia 11th among the top 20 economies with the highest foreign direct investment (FDI) rates of return.
This is an excellent indicator to show that Malaysia continues to be a profitable centre.
On the same note, the AT Kearny Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index shows that we have dropped from 10th to 25th position, which is the last position measured.
This report is based on a survey of 300 senior executives of the world leading corporations. It showed that these global corporations may have initially been attracted to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Economic Transformation Programme.
The reports are an excellent indicator and we can either rejoice or sit back and reflect. There may be a thousand reasons for our nation to fail, but there is only one reason to succeed — that is to realise our mistakes and transform into a better nation.
We are under a massive transformation programme, thanks to the efforts and initiatives of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit, Malaysian Investment Development Authority, Ministry of International Trade and Industry and all the investment-related agencies working like a power horse to bring in investors.
These efforts at the national level are commendable. However, how many of us know what is happening to investors who are here and struggling with the third engine of growth, that is, the local authorities?
In Klang and Port Klang, investors have no access to good roads, telecommunication facilities, eating outlets, functioning street lights, clean environment, a working drainage and viable waste management system, good landscaping and proper workers’ hostel facilities.
There is not even a police beat base at industrial estates, such as the Taiwanese Industrial Area in Bandar Sultan Sulaiman.
It is sad to hear the response from the local authority, which say that it does not have the budget to repair the roads, provide better landscaping, waste management facilities, canteens and parking for the trailers and haulers who ply the area and the nearby ports, that is Northport and Westport.
The office of the local authority has been without a mayor for the last eight months. There is no one-stop centre to tackle investors’ woes and no follow through on the problems reported by them.
There are some investors who are ceasing operations and moving to neighbouring countries.
Can the federal officers provide an awareness programme for local authority officers on the importance of maintaining facilities and utilities so that the investors will enjoy a good stay in our country?
Port Klang and Klang house hundreds of companies and it is the 12th busiest transshipment port in the world today. Port Klang generated RM134 billion in exports and RM111 billion in imports for our nation. Port Klang generated RM3.2 billion FDI in 2011 and provides 96,000 jobs for Malaysians.
It is of paramount interest to our nation to ensure the local authorities are equipped to handle foreign investors and their needs.
The role of the local authority is critical in ensuring the FDI returns to our nation. Each local authority must be held responsible for every exit of an investor from their area. There must be a post-mortem conducted and the responsible local authority must be held responsible for its neglect and lackadaisical attitude.