Lim Guan Eng today advised the government not to rely on ‘overly optimistic’ economic projections like it did in the past. — File picture by Sayuti Zainudin
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today said that the government should remain focused on recovery and growth, instead of relying on “overly optimistic” economic projections like it did in the past
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob should also focus on handling the Omicron wave that is currently ongoing instead of making unrealistic projections to generate a feel-good factor to face the coming Johor state general elections.
“Ismail must not repeat the past mistakes of overly optimistic projections that not only failed to pull the economy out of its recession but affected economic confidence by missing many economic targets,” he said in a statement today.
Lim said that Malaysia’s economic performance for 2020 and 2021 suffered due to low gross domestic product (GDP) and the pandemic affected adversely on businesses and livelihood.
He gave an example of Malaysia’s 2021 GDP growth rate of 3.1 per cent which he called disappointing compared to the earlier overly optimistic projections by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration of up to 7.5 percent.
“To avoid 2022 to descend to be another lost year of missed economic targets, Ismail must undertake institutional reforms that resolve workers’ shortage faced by many businesses through the offering of wage and hiring monthly incentives; check rising inflation and prices of food, commodities and materials especially reversing the rise in electricity tariffs for 1.6 million businesses and industries; and combat corruption as well as reduce bureaucratic red-tape and inefficiency.