Idris: Our country is growing really well, moving fast

PUTRAJAYA: There will be “good things to look out for” during the unveiling of the National Transformation Programme (NTP) Annual Report 2017 next Friday, says Datuk Seri Idris Jala.

Malaysia, said Idris, was on track against all indices, pointing out that the country would have been classified as a high-income nation last year if the ringgit had not devalued.

The adviser to the Prime Minister for the NTP said Malaysia was on the right track in driving the country’s economic growth through the programme’s implementation, adding that economic growth this year was expected to be between 5% and 5.9%.

“We are growing really well and as an economy, we are actually moving very fast. Our gross domestic product grew by 5.9% last year, which is very high compared to others in Asean.

“We beat every international institution’s predictions such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, Standard and Poor’s and even Bank Negara.

“But of course, there were things that didn’t work in our favour like the exchange rate,” he told reporters at a briefing.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is expected to announce the report at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre.

The various programmes implemented under the NTP, said Idris, benefited the people by increasing the income of the lower income group, especially with the addition of public transport and construction and the setting-up of a wide range of facilities in rural areas.

He also said the country’s debt was completely in the safe zone, adding that this was always kept at below 55% of the GDP.