PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has paid tribute to all frontliners and the Malaysian Family for curbing the Covid-19 pandemic.
Reflecting on his term leading the nation as Prime Minister since Aug 21 last year, he said the government managed to face various trials and tribulations, including the pandemic, despite criticism of the administration.
"Thank you to all the frontliners and the Malaysian Family for their full support in assisting the government in curbing the pandemic.
"Due to this success, the country entered the transition into endemicity on April 1, enabling the reopening of borders after being closed for two years," he said in a special address on Monday (Oct 10).
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All Malaysians should rejoice as the country was recognised as the best in South-East Asia in dealing with Covid-19, Ismail Sabri said.
"We witnessed the reopening of the economy which revitalised various sectors.
"It showed the government's commitment in curbing the pandemic and withdrawing movement restrictions that disrupted daily life," he said.
The pandemic also caused the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) to shrink to 5.5% growth, which is the biggest reduction since the 1997-1998 financial crisis, Ismail Sabri said.
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"However, the government managed to bring the country out of the economic slump through several responsive and proactive measures.
"The World Bank has revised our projected GDP from 5.5% in March to 6.4%," he said.
In one year, unemployment has been reduced for 12 months straight, which is 3.7% in July compared with 4.8% in July last year, he said.
"In terms of foreign direct investment (FDI), we already received RM47.4bil in the first six months of this year compared with RM48.1bil last year," he said.
Budget 2023 was tabled in Parliament on Friday (Oct 7), as the nation's biggest budget to date, Ismail Sabri said.
"The RM372.3Bil budget showed the government's will in ensuring no one is forsaken.
"Every segment of the rakyat benefitted from this Budget," he said.
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However, he also noted that the terms of the just-dissolved 14th Parliament painted a bleak picture of the country's political landscape.
"Never before have we seen three prime ministers in the same (parliamentary) term.
"Be that as it may, the fighting among political players can be curbed by bringing them to the negotiation table.
"We were searching for togetherness, not differences. We were searching for common ground, not disunity," he said.
The spirit of the Malaysian Family was expressed through the Transformation and Political Stability Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the government and the Opposition, he said.
"It has benefitted the whole Malaysian Family.
"Through this alliance, the government managed to implement significant transformations including the Constitutional amendment that prohibits Dewan Rakyat members from switching parties and on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), as well as introducing the anti-sexual harassment Bill," he said.
