PETALING JAYA: Malaysia will be recognised as a global middle economic power if its wish to join the intergovernmental organisation BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) is accepted.
Economy minister Rafizi Ramli said if Malaysia is admitted to BRICS, it will not affect its international relations with other countries.
"This is because Malaysia is known as a country that practices neutral principles when dealing with global issues," Bernama quoted him as saying at an event held in conjunction with the Madani Rakyat South Zone 2024 programme at Dataran UTM in Johor Bahru today.
BRICS consists of a group of countries that include prominent middle economic powers.
Rafizi said if Malaysia is accepted as member, it will increase the country’s economic capacity.
"Don’t be confused, we want to join not because of politics but because we want to establish good relations with all countries, including Russia, Brazil, India and others," he added.
On Malaysia’s rapid economic growth in the second quarter, at 5.9%, which was above expectations, Rafizi said this reflected the confidence foreign investors have in the country’s potential.
He said this also shows that the government’s policies and economic growth narratives have been well-received.
Therefore, Rafizi said the government needs to continue this growth momentum by intensifying efforts to attract investors.
At the same time, the government is focussing on ensuring all that is necessary for these investments to get off the ground.
To maintain the positive economic growth momentum, he said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will launch the "business facilitation framework", which touches on the efficiency of government services in facilitating business on Oct 4.
Rafizi said his ministry had taken a year to finalise this framework.
