Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli (left) receiving the Maju Johor coffee table book from Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi (right) during the dialogue session for the mid-term study of the 12th Malaysia Plan here.
ISKANDAR PUTERI: The government will not be revising its economic growth projection despite the fall in the value of the ringgit over the past two weeks, says Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli.
“For now, it is too soon to say that the fall of the ringgit in the past one or two weeks will have any impact on our projection.
“We need to wait for more data on the economy and trade in the next few months as the value of ringgit alone is not the only determinant for our economic growth.
“Other trade activities such as export and the price of oil also affect our growth,” he said, adding that the government would continue to monitor the situation.
Currently, the Malaysian ringgit is valued at US$0.22.
He said the fall of the ringgit was mostly due to the progress of the United States’ debt ceiling discussion that had also affected market sentiment.
Rafizi also said the government was looking at making Johor a special economic zone alongside Singapore.
“We have had discussions with Singapore on the matter but it has yet to be formalised.
“We hope to bring up this matter at the next Ministerial Joint Committee meeting between the Federal Government, Johor and Singapore,” he said.
He also said there had never been any indication that PAS would be invited to join the unity government despite claims by its chief that he was approached.
“There were three people who were doing most of the discussion (from PKR) on the formation of the unity government.
“Besides Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, it was me and the party’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
“I do not know which timeline the claims referred to, but from the first day I was involved in the formation of the Federal Government up until now, I have never heard of such a thing,” he told reporters after a dialogue on the mid-term study of the 12th Malaysia Plan here yesterday.
Rafizi was responding to PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang’s claims that certain people had repeatedly approached him to join the unity government.
Abdul Hadi claimed that the offer came about after Pakatan Harapan, especially PKR, realised that their position was unstable because the number of their Malay seats were not as many as those of PAS.
