ECONOMIC REALITY: Their sentiment is not marred by the negative image painted by the opposition.
So, when fund managers managing RM13 trillion worth of assets came for the annual Invest Malaysia gathering two weeks ago, it says a lot about Malaysia's continued presence on both home and foreign investors' radars. Participants at the forum said it was easily the largest ever gathering of fund and asset managers at the annual event.
On any other day, the number of attendees would not be as surprising. Malaysia has always been at the top of the list of regional destinations favoured by investors. The nation has enjoyed stability, has a progressive legislation in as far as investment is concerned and has remained largely predictable and consistent in regulatory frameworks it has designed for the investment market. But the annual event two weeks ago wasn't just any other day.
Malaysia had just undergone what many described as one of the most bruising general elections in its history. The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, headed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was attacked viciously on all fronts in the months leading to the polling day.
His political opponents stopped at nothing to discredit everything his government had done for Malaysia.
And, this time, and especially with the advent of the Internet, the political smearing of Malaysia took on an even wider spectrum, in that the perception battle was not fought entirely in Malaysia.
