Malaysia will not go bankrupt: Mohd Irwan Serigar

SARIKEI: Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah has again refuted allegations that Malaysia was heading towards becoming a bankrupt nation soon.
"This is absolutely not correct and is the work of some unethical people posting fake news on the Internet. As one responsible for the country's financial management, I would like to again stress here that Malaysia is on a very strong economic footing," he said at the launching of the state's first National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) festival here today.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinngi Abang Johari Tun Openg officiated at the launching.
Mohd Irwan Serigar said last year, the country posted a growth rate of 5.9%, adding that for this year, the growth rate was expected to be six percent.
He said another clear indication was the fact that Caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak had decided to increase the amount for the various categories of Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M).
After the coming general election, those groups receiving RM400 would have their entitlement increased to RM800 for the June and August payments.
Those with a household income of RM3,000 and below would get RM2,000 while those with income of between RM3,000 and RM4,000 would receive RM1,500, said Mohd Irwan Serigar.
"Then, we have the new category of those (households) earning between RM4,000 to RM5,000 who will get the BR1M payment of RM700."
He said last year too, the country had received RM39.2 billion in foreign investment.
"All these go to show that the country's economy is still very strong and not as imagined by that group of people," he added.
He said Sarawak too, was doing "very well and growing at a rapid pace". — Bernama