PUTRAJAYA: The benefits of Malaysia's economic performance, which recorded a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of six per cent in the second quarter of 2026, must be felt directly by the people, says Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.
The Communications Minister said that the GDP growth, high investment and trade figures, as well as low inflation and unemployment rates, indicate that the country's economy is on the right track; however, these achievements mean nothing if the rakyat do not understand and feel their benefits.
"At a time when we express large figures and signal that the country is moving on the right track, do the people actually feel the things that might be closer to them?
"As the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) has emphasised and many ministerial leaders have mentioned, large figures, if not translated, understood, and enjoyed by the people, hold no meaning," he said while addressing the Communications Ministry's August 2026 Monthly Assembly here on Monday (Aug 17).
Also present were his deputy Teo Nie Ching and Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah.
Therefore, Fahmi said it is the responsibility of the ministry, the Information Department (JaPen), and the Community Communication Department (J-Kom) to explain how these large figures are actually achieved and enjoyed by the people.
According to him, this effort is not solely the responsibility of the ministry; rather, the corporate communication units (UKK) in every ministry need to refine methods to explain to the people how government policies and achievements impact their lives.
"We need to help other ministries make the people understand issues that perhaps for them, for that ministry, for those stakeholders, they might not realise that the people lack understanding of," he said.
In a related development, Fahmi said the issue regarding the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) Report on Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) needs to be clarified to the public, especially to the institution's nearly 10 million depositors, including matters related to the report's presentation process.
He added that the presentation of the RCI report by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) is in line with past practices, where RCI reports are presented by the minister responsible for the matter.
"All RCI reports in the history of parliamentary sessions - all RCIs, there may have been five or six RCIs previously - have never been presented by the prime minister, except by the responsible minister. Therefore, the minister responsible for Tabung Haji is the Minister of Religious Affairs. Thus, it was him who presented that report," he said.
In other developments, Fahmi said that as of Aug 16, 2026, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has detected more than 10,000 fake accounts identified as carrying 3R (Race, Religion, Royalty) issues.
"What is the function of these fake accounts? To carry false narratives, incorrect information, and convey improper relations; therefore, we must redouble our efforts to eradicate these fake accounts," he said.- Bernama
