Economist: Malaysia is a stable country

Despite the illegal Bersih rally over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is still a stable country, says Dr Shane Oliver, head of investment strategy and chief economist at AMP Capital Investors. He said Malaysia is economically and politically stable and the rally had not changed his perception of the country. "It is just part of an ongoing move towards greater democracy that most countries go through in their development. Its unlikely to change international perception of Malaysia as a relatively stable country," he told Bernama here. AMP Capital Investors is a specialist investment manager with over A$99 billion in managed funds. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AMP, one of Australia's largest retail and corporate pension providers, with over 160 years of experience. With offices in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States, it is also a leading global real estate manager and one of the oldest infrastructure managers. Shane regards Malaysia as doing well compared to other Asian countries and has no doubt that the country will become a high-income economy as aspired. "Malaysia is on track to achieving its aspiration to become a high income economy," he said. Agreeing with Oliver's stand, an analyst said he is optimistic that the rally would not disrupt Malaysia's economic growth and competitiveness in attracting foreign investors. "Over the years, we have seen Malaysia as being a stable country, be it politically or economically. With prudent administration by the current prime minister, Malaysia will continue to have good economic growth," he added. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the organiser of the Bersih 2.0 rally and the opposition wanted to portray Malaysia as undemocratic in the eyes of the world.