{"id":10262,"date":"2021-07-09T12:19:58","date_gmt":"2021-07-09T04:19:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/?p=10262"},"modified":"2021-07-09T12:20:00","modified_gmt":"2021-07-09T04:20:00","slug":"new-cabinet-appointments-wont-rock-the-boat-as-long-as-peoples-health-economy-under-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/?p=10262","title":{"rendered":"New cabinet appointments won\u2019t rock the boat, as long as people\u2019s health, economy under control"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 &nbsp;&#8212;&nbsp;With&nbsp;new cabinet appointments, the Perikatan Nasional (PN)&nbsp;government looks totally committed to bringing the COVID-19 pandemic&nbsp;under control while ensuring the economy forges ahead&nbsp;despite hiccups and fragilities of the global economy, Juwai IQI&nbsp;chief economist Shan Saeed said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said Malaysian exports and trade numbers are still strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cThe new appointments will follow the same economic strategy to speed up the vaccine process and to encourage more and more people get&nbsp;vaccinated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn my view, with current speed and arrival of 12&nbsp;million vaccines in July, we can expect 60-80 per cent of the population completing their doses by end-September, and this would be remarkable taking into account that&nbsp;many countries are suffering including Australia, Japan, Vietnam, and India,\u201d he told Bernama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Malaysia\u2019s total trade in May 2021 expanded by 48.7 per cent year-on-year to RM170.9 billion as the country\u2019s exports and imports maintained strong double-digit growth, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Exports, imports, and total trade posted a growth of 47.3 percent, 50.3 percent, and 48.7 percent, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02.png\" alt=\"appointments\" class=\"wp-image-10263\" width=\"498\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02.png 588w, https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02-187x100.png 187w, https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02-350x188.png 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Malaysia, according to Shan, still performs a good\u00a0job in maintaining macroeconomic stability despite facing\u00a0various challenges, with Juwai IQI maintaining\u00a0the country&#8217;s\u00a02021 gross domestic product growth at between three and\u00a0four percent, budget deficit at six to seven percent, while the ringgit is expected to hover at between 3.67 and 4.10 per US dollar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOverall, we at Juwai IQI are cautiously optimistic about the economic&nbsp;growth and outlook for Malaysia.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Malaysian economy has that resilience to bounce back due to its&nbsp;productive labour force, modern technological infrastructure, and consistent economic policies for global and local investors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Wednesday announced the appointment of Defence Minister&nbsp;Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein as Deputy Prime Minister and Senior Minister (Security Cluster), respectively, with immediate effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following their appointments, the new deputy premier said he regarded his appointment as a trust and responsibility which has to be undertaken in a sincere and honest manner for the sake of the country\u2019s political stability and economic well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also said that the appointment was not a privilege but a heavy responsibility which came at a time when the country is battling the pandemic and implementing the National Recovery Plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, Sunway University professor of economics Dr Yeah Kim Leng viewed that the rapid political developments will no doubt heightened concerns about the economy among investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHowever, as long as there is continuing focus by the administration especially the civil service on containing the pandemic, reopening businesses and factories, and maintaining social order and stability, the negative consequences on markets and the economy will be limited,\u201d he expressed hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yeah said&nbsp;economists expect this latest development will cause&nbsp;minimal disruptions to the functioning of the economy and markets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, Prof Dr Jamal Othman from&nbsp;Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia\u2019s Faculty of Economics and Management&nbsp;said the society and economy suffered a lot due to prolonged measures to combat COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hence, he believed all parties are expecting a major policy change that would&nbsp;see the government stepping up its&nbsp;COVID-19 vaccination drive and prepare&nbsp;the country with the right ecosystem should the coronavirus become endemic, regardless of who helms the government.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cClosing the economy may not be an option anymore,\u201d he opined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Malaysia recorded 8,868 new cases on&nbsp;Thursday, July 8, the country\u2019s second-highest daily figure of all time behind the 9,020 cases reported on May 29.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a tweet, health director-general Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah said the total number of infections has now breached the 800,000 mark,\u00a0at 808,658.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bernama.com\/en\/news.php?id=1980579\">BERNAMA<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 &nbsp;&#8212;&nbsp;With&nbsp;new cabinet appointments, the Perikatan Nasional (PN)&nbsp;government looks totally committed to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[524],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nation"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02.png",588,315,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02-300x161.png",300,161,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02.png",588,315,false],"large":["https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02.png",588,315,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02.png",588,315,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02.png",588,315,false],"newsium-slider-full":["https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02.png",588,315,false],"newsium-featured":["https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02.png",588,315,false],"newsium-medium":["https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Screen-Shot-2021-07-09-at-12.17.02.png",588,315,false]},"author_info":{"info":["Editor"]},"category_info":"<a 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