Is Malaysia’s tech policy on autopilot?

Dan Lain-Lain (Malay for “and others”) is a weekly column by Tech in Asia journalist Emmanuel Samarathisa that dissects the goings-on in the Malaysia tech scene but with a heavy mix of current affairs, policy, and politics. Click here to read past articles.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim seen at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum on November 17. / Photo credit: Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia

Anwar Ibrahim will celebrate his first year as Malaysia’s prime minister this Friday. Tumultuous doesn’t come close to describing his maiden rule as the country’s head.

What separates Anwar from his predecessors is his gift of the gab. His PR team has also been working overtime, ensuring that stylish pictures and videos of him are distributed to the press or even on social media. In other words, Anwar is being portrayed as Malaysia’s rockstar prime minister.

But there’s a problem: sounding and looking cool invites scrutiny.

He has been traveling across the globe, playing the part of Malaysia’s salesman. But there have been gaffes surrounding some of his policy announcements.

Since we’re a tech publication, let’s look at some puzzling statements regarding the industry:

Questionable investment claims

Anwar was recently in California for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. True to his salesman style, the prime minister claimed that Malaysia netted over 62 billion ringgit (US$13.3 billion) in proposed investments, mainly from tech titans.

Of that sum, 8.3 billion ringgit (US$1.8 billion) was made courtesy of the trade and investment mission to the US, days before APEC began. Some of the names bandied about in this batch include Enovix, Boeing, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Lam Research.

The remainder, Anwar said, came from one-on-one sessions with Google, Microsoft, and TikTok, among others. The prime minister added that TikTok wanted to commit a significant investment, but he didn’t disclose details.

First, proposed investments and realized investments are two different things. A proposal can break down somewhere along the line and not be realized due to problems on either the company’s or the government’s side.

Second, the numbers may not represent fresh investments. Take Enovix and AWS, for example. Both companies committed significant amounts across a decades-long timeline. Lam Research has already opened a manufacturing plant in Penang, too.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew (center) in a discussion with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (left) at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum on November 17. / Photo credit: Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia

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