PETALING JAYA: Tengku Zafrul Aziz must not issue any unclear policies or commit any flip-flops if he is to succeed in his new role as the international trade and industry minister, says the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
By doing so, Tengku Zafrul could “reaffirm Malaysia’s commitment” to good governance and reassure investors that Malaysia is an attractive option, said the chamber’s president Christina Tee.
She said she believed Tengku Zafrul was suited to his newly appointed position given his previous experience in charge of the finance ministry.
The chairman of the Small and Medium Enterprises Association Malaysia, William Ng, said Tengku Zafrul was a “familiar face to industry” and one who understands the intricacies of business and trade.
“We are hopeful he will be steadfast in rolling out the National Trade Blueprint and in supporting SMEs in our aspiration to be more globally connected and resilient,” Ng said.
Ng added that one of Tengku Zafrul’s key priorities should be to rapidly scale up Malaysia’s productivity while supporting the digitalisation and automation of SMEs.
An economist, Barjoyai Bardai of Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, said the new international trade minister “may be able to do a good job”.
He said his immediate task would be to push through the trans-Pacific free trade agreement (CPTPP), which was to be ratified by the previous Cabinet but which is being met with opposition from various sections of the public.
