M'sians want globe-trotting PMX show solid fruits of economic exploits, not socmed rhetorics, pics
In tandem with widening trust deficit in PMX and his Madani government, detractors are demanding greater transparency from PMX's current week-long tour (July 1 to 7) of three major economic hubs, namely Italy, France and Brazil 'to bolster economic, trade and strategic ties'.
'YB DSAI flies to Italy, France and Rio de Janeiro in the name of multi-lateralism, AI (artificial intelligence) governance, climate action and lecture at the Sorbonne (University of Paris),' reacted netizen ksampoh@MyOwn Inc (@ksampoh) on one of a dozen or so (thus far) social media posts related to PMX's official tour.
'This diplomatic effort is indeed important – but the rakyat deserve to see real results, not just networking and speeches.'
Towards this end, the good governance advocate posed the following questions to PMX:
How many ringgit of investment have been successfully brought home (bearing in mind projected/pledged investment vs actual/realised investment)?
How many new job opportunities have opened up for locals?
How do bilateral trade relations translate into economic growth for the rakyat?
How much FDI (foreign direct investment) has been realised from previous foreign visits?
Where are the data as opposed to just photos?
'We're not rejecting international relations but diplomacy must be transparent, measurable and beneficial for the people. Global rhetoric is not enough if pockets of the rakyat remain depressed,' justified ksampoh@MyOwn Inc.
'Malaysia needs to remain respected on the world stage but the people want proof that every visit brings fair and inclusive returns in line with the shout of the Madani spirit. Professional diplomacy. Proven results. Not just photos. 🙏'
Similar sentiments were also detected in other social media posts even though they were laced with sarcasm.
That there are quarters who are sceptical about PMX's constant overseas trips are inevitable given there seems to be an imbalance between the billions in pledged investments claimed yet the Madani government is still pro-actively raising taxes (including electricity tariffs and soon to embark on RON95 subsidy rationalisation).
Of immense concern is perhaps the contradiction between the claim of PMX who is also the Finance Minister that there has been RM20 bil drop in new debt over past three years when the latest fiscal and debt data released by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) show that federal government debt exceeded RM1.17 tril as of end-2023.
'This figure rose to RM1.63 tril in 2024 and remained high at RM1.25 tril as of 1Q 2025,' MCA Youth secretary-general Saw Yee Fung (a PhD holder in theoretical economics from the Perking University) pointed out recently.
'These numbers directly contradict PMX's claims and reveal a clear attempt to present a misleading version of the national debt status by selectively using statistics.'
Well, should Malaysians be bracing for new taxes to come their way upon PMX's return amid the trumpeting that the Madani delegation has reaped billions in potential (NOT actual) investments? – July 3, 2025
Main image credit: Anwar Ibrahim/Facebook
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