MINDSET OF BRITAIN INVESTORS ON MALAYSIA STAYS UNCHANGED

By Prem Kumar Panjamorthy
KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- British investors have not and will not divert investments from Malaysia following the illegal rallies on July 9.

The chairman of the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (BMCC), Jon Addis said Western countries are used to street demonstrations and thus, the impact of the illegal rallies was very minimal.

"I was in Britain when the rallies took place, and admit that some local media had highlighted the issue.

"However, the impact was very small, with more companies interested in relocating their headquarters to Malaysia," he told Bernama in an interview.

He said the chamber is now in the midst of discussions with some of
Britain's multi-national companies to set-up their regional headquarters in the Klang Valley region.

"We (BMCC), do not see any disruption to our talks and discussions, due to the rallies," he added.

On trade, Addis said Malaysian investors should be more aggressive, in tapping into Britain's property market.

"As the British pound sterling weakens, the property market there is seen to be more vibrant and attractive.

"Malaysia already has a presence in the market with YTL Corporation Bhd. The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has now has a strong foothold in Britain's property segment," he added.

Meanwhile, he said British investors are showing more interest in capturing infrastructure projects in Malaysia, with the government dishing out many under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and Entry-Point Projects (EPP).

"The continuous liberalisation of the financial services and other sectors in Malaysia will drive more investments into the country," Addis said.