KUALA LUMPUR: The government has an important role in enacting clear and integrated policies to attract and retain investors in Malaysia, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (pic).
He said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Dec 5) that the approach to dealing with the industry also needed to be instilled in a way that the policies and initiatives created are in line with current and future needs.
He said these were among the things he shared during the courtesy visit of Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) vice president (global policy) Mary Thornton and her delegation on Tuesday.
"In this meeting, SIA members took the opportunity to inform me about industry planning and recommendations in strengthening Malaysia's attractiveness as a destination for foreign investment, especially at the high-value chain level.
"Among other things, I explained the government's important approach which encourages the private sector to lead skills centres as a step to overcome the issue of the new workforce not matching the needs of the industry," said Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister.
He said the delegation also agreed that the ecosystem of small and medium enterprises that contributed to the production chain of the world's major companies should always be emphasised and supported.
SIA has been the voice of the US semiconductor industry for more than four decades and SIA members represent more than 99% of the US semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-US chip firms.