Ready to serve: Anwar (centre) and members of the Cabinet posing for a group picture during the briefing ahead of the Dewan Rakyat sitting at Seri Perdana Complex. — Photo courtesy of Anwar’s Facebook page
KUALA SELANGOR: No country should dictate Malaysia’s right to have diplomatic ties with any nations including China, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister noted that as an independent and sovereign country, Malaysia is free to decide with which country it wants to have diplomatic relations.
“We can befriend any country, in the West or East, the United States or China. Let there be no country that tells us who we can befriend and who we cannot,” he said at the closing ceremony of the Madani Rakyat programme (central zone) at the Kuala Selangor Sports Complex here yesterday.
Esteemed House: The final landscaping works being carried out ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the first meeting of the third session of the 15th Parliament. — Bernama
Anwar said Malaysia will implement foreign policies that prioritise the nation and its people.
He was commenting on a recent interview he had with a foreign financial news publication in which he was asked about the close ties Malaysia has with China.
On the depreciation of the ringgit, Anwar said except for Singapore, other currencies such as the yen, renminbi and those of other Asean countries have also been affected.
“There are those who have questioned this and asked us to find a way to resolve it. There are solutions suggested by international financial experts.
“When the ringgit falls, we raise the overnight policy rate (OPR). Raise interest rates and the ringgit will strengthen but those with car loans, petty traders and others with loans will be hit.
“The situation is different now; our economy is stable, inflation rate remains at the lowest at 1.5%,” he added.
Anwar said foreign and domestic investments were also at its highest since the country attained independence in 1957.
