New Minister of Economic Affairs aims to restore national economy

KUALA LUMPUR: Efforts to revive the country's economy and make Malaysia a major investment destination in the Southeast Asian region and globally are the main focus of the Ministry of Economic Affairs for the next five years.
Its new minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, said he believed that Malaysia has great potential to restore the confidence of domestic and foreign investors because it has competent and knowledgeable human capital.
"My experience as Mentri Besar of Selangor will help in ensuring that the country's economic management is conducted responsibly and well," he said after taking his oath of office, loyalty and secrecy together with 12 other Cabinet Ministers before Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V at Istana Negara here yesterday.
When asked about his successor as Selangor Menteri Besar, Azmin said it would only be decided after the end of Ramadan.
Meanwhile, the new Minister of Education Dr Maszlee Malik said that the existing national education policy will continue to be improved in order to enhance the performance of mainstream education to an international level.
He said the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 contains useful education agendas that should be continued including non-examination oriented education system.
"Whatever is good we will continue with and we will try to make improvements. For myself, I am trying to implement commitments in the higher education system or our education system, namely 'happiness, love and mutual respect'," said Dr Maszlee who was also sworn in yesterday.
"The most important thing for higher education is to abolish the Universities and University Colleges Act (AUKU) Act 1971, to provide academic freedom and to lift our institute of higher learning to the international level," he said.
He said, in addition, the government is also committed to easing the burden of teachers and students and ensuring that national education is the choice of all.
Among the measures to be taken to ease the burden of teachers and students was by providing auxiliary teachers, reducing class size and by integrating technology into the classroom. — Bernama