Let Bank Negara handle the banks

GENERALLY, Finance Ministers are meticulous in their messaging. This is because what they say – even in passing – is taken seriously. It has been proven time and again – both locally and overseas.

On this score, the capital markets were rattled by the use of words such as “windfall tax” by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng. Even though he clarified later that his statement was taken out of context and that the government would not impose a windfall tax on banks, it nevertheless was the topic of discussion even in analyst research reports.