THE 2016 International Monetary Fund (IMF) Consultations with Malaysia has just produced a balanced though subtle report on the state of the Malaysian economy and its prospects. The IMF praised Malaysia for its good performance despite the unexpected external and domestic economic shocks, including lower energy prices, the adverse effects of the economic slowdown in China (our biggest trading partner), and the heavy capital outflows.
The IMF also singled out as our drawbacks what it described as our “domestic political controversy”, (underscoring) “the need to uphold high standards of governance”.