JOHOR BARU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim credited the country's positive economic performance in the second quarter of the year to the unity government's strategic initiatives under the Madani economic framework.
Anwar said this at the Madani Rakyat Southern Zone 2024 programme at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) here today (Saturday) as he rebuked critics who claimed that the government had done little to improve the nation's economy.
"Some critics continue to spread negativity, alleging that the unity government is not doing enough.
"But if the government had done nothing, how could we have achieved a growth rate of 5.9 per cent this quarter?" he said.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, said the significant economic growth was the result of coordinated efforts across various sectors, including the public and private sectors, as well as contributions from citizens, farmers, smallholders and fishermen.
"These collective efforts bolstered investor confidence, which led to the ringgit becoming one of the strongest-performing currencies in the region," he said.
Malaysia's economy had grown by 5.9 per cent in the second quarter, surpassing the earlier projection of 5.8 per cent, which was the highest rate since the fourth quarter of 2022.
On July 19, Statistics Department chief Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin attributed the country's growth to strong household spending, a robust labour market and supportive government policies.