In dire need of quality FDIs

Speaking to StarBiz, Alliance Bank chief economist Manokaran Mottain said the country’s competitiveness has declined over the years, even as regional countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Indonesia are becoming more business-friendly.

PETALING JAYA: At a time when there is an increased attention on whether foreign investors are ditching Malaysia for other Asean countries, the Statistics Department reveals that the rate of return on foreign direct investments (FDI) in the country has dropped sharply in the past decade.

In the latest Malaysian economic statistics review, it pointed out that the return on investment (ROI) for FDI have halved from 16 sen in 2010 to just eight sen in 2019 (for every ringgit invested).