14/11: Rafidah: Foreign investors' confidence not affected by Bersih gatherings

Charles Ramendran and Pauline Puah
The Sun

International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz today expressed confidence that foreign investments will not be affected by the rally organised by the Opposition on Saturday (Nov 10).

"I must say that when I go overseas, business people do not ask about the Opposition. They understand (the Opposition). They also know the history of our opposition members. They are not interested," she said after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had opened Intrade Malaysia and the Kuala Lumpur International Trade Forum 2007.

Referring to the gathering organised by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Election (Bersih), Rafidah said foreign investors are more interested in understanding the government’s new policies and the business environment here.

"I don’t even have one question about the Opposition. I had been going around. I just came back from Europe, not even one (investor) asked about the Opposition," she said.

Rafidah said foreign investors understand that these are politicians who demonstrate in the name of democracy.

"The public should be aware that this is the way of the opposition. It’s not really positive. It’s very negative for them. But for foreigners, they don’t worry. They are not interested. Even in their country, they also have demonstrations," she said.

In Saturday’s gathering, thousands of people marched from various parts of Kuala Lumpur to Istana Negara to submit a memorandum to the King, calling for electoral reforms.

The police, which did not issue a permit for the gathering, had used tear gas and the water cannon on the protesters near Masjid Jamed area when the demonstrators failed to disperse.

On another question whether the government would ask Petronas to increase oil production following the increase in oil prices, Rafidah said the government is studying it.

"Like the prime minister said, we are all looking at the subsidy structure. This is being done at the technical and official level. We are working it out. So bear with us," she added.