Malaysia University of Science and Technology Research and Innovation provost Prof Geoffrey Williams said any reduction in transaction costs will be welcomed by investors, but the simple fact is that companies on Bursa Malaysia are “not attractive”.
Prof Williams said corporate governance along with the environmental, social and governance risk is too high for many overseas investors. “So, there is very little room for private companies because they are crowded out of the big-ticket projects by government interference. Economist and former Treasury deputy secretary-general Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said the new measures are small and technical in nature.