Press Digest - Malaysian Chinese businessmen does not welcome China counterparts

PETALING JAYA: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin believes that Malaysians do not welcome the prime minister's efforts to woo investors from China, saying these foreign entrepreneurs will rob the locals of their rice bowls.
In an interview with Chinese press, the former deputy prime minister said the Malays put more emphasis on their living conditions and believed that the inflow of mainland China investments will eventually deny local entrepreneurs and traders of their opportunities.
Muhyiddin pointed out that Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, believing that having better trade relations with China would please the local Chinese entrepreneurs, is trying to give MCA the credit for his recent trip to China, where deals worth billions of ringgit were inked, to win back Chinese voters' support for the party and strengthen Barisan Nasional.
In fact Najib can deal direct with China without MCA, he said, and likened the prime minister's move to opening the floodgates for foreign powers to influence Malaysian political parties.
"I believe Malaysian Chinese businessmen will not welcome (mainland) China entrepreneurs with open arms," Muhyiddin was quoted as saying in a Chinese daily today.
"I have asked my Chinese friends for their opinions of PM's efforts to woo Chinese investors, and their reply is, 'why give (mainland) Chinese the opportunity, (when) local Chinese have the ability," said Muhyiddin.
Asked if the Malays would be happy to see more investments from China, Muhyiddin said, "they believe it would affect their rice bowl".
"What do you (reporters) think as Malaysian Chinese?" he asked.
"I also do not like to see Indonesians coming here to buy houses and land, which are rightly ours.
"I believe Malaysian Chinese will not feel comfortable if (mainland) Chinese, with their tonnes of cash, own a city in Malaysia; neither will they be happy to become these (mainland) Chinese's 'coolies' (labourers)."