Tesla set up Malaysian headquarters due to political stability by unity government: PM Anwar
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim delivering a speech at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China on Mar 31, 2023. (File photo: Facebook/Anwar Ibrahim)
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reiterated on Thursday (Jul 28) that electric car maker Tesla’s decision to set up its Malaysian headquarters was due to the political stability brought about by the unity government.
“When the unity government came about, there is political stability ... When the political climate is stable, people are sure to come,” said Mr Anwar during the opening ceremony of a Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) carnival.
He noted that Tesla and SpaceX chief executive officer Elon Musk had reached out to him for a meeting whereas requests by a former Malaysian minister to meet the tech billionaire were allegedly ignored.
“Elon Musk is the richest person in the world. Elon Musk is richer than countries. It is quite difficult to bring him in. But once we became stable, I didn’t ask to talk to him; he asked to talk to me,” he said.
“So, using video conferencing, he immediately mentioned (that this year), Tesla … will open its headquarters in Cyberjaya, Selangor.”
Mr Anwar also said that the frequent changes in prime ministers deterred potential investors from Malaysia.
Over the past four years, Malaysia has been rocked by political instability following the fall of the 22-month Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in 2020, triggered by the Sheraton Move. The two following administrations lasted 17 months under Muhyiddin Yassin and 15 months under Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Despite Mr Anwar’s claim of political stability, Muhyiddin has criticised the unity government as being “hopeless” and “fragile”.
According to a Free Malaysia Today report on Jun 29, Muhyiddin - who is also the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman - said that the biggest concern affecting the unity government is its stability.
“There is no stability. It’s fragile. It can collapse at any time. This is the reality,” he reportedly said, adding that, unlike PN, Mr Anwar’s unity government was fractured.
“We (PN) don’t have any problems; PH has a lot of internal problems. BN (Barisan Nasional) faces the same issue. When it comes to (fighting with) DAP (Democratic Action Party), it’s not even internal, it’s out in the open.”
The unity government comprises Mr Anwar’s PH coalition - of which DAP is a component party - and the previous ruling BN coalition, among other parties.
Separately, Mr Anwar said on Thursday that the opening of Tesla’s headquarters in Malaysia will create thousands of job opportunities for the younger generation.
“When he comes (and) opens offices, companies and factories for the new electric vehicles, we can take tens and thousands of our children to work (there),” he said.
On Jul 14, Mr Anwar said that he welcomed the electric vehicle maker’s decision to invest in Malaysia and stated the government’s support for the opening of the Tesla head office in Selangor.
This after a 25-minute meeting virtual meeting with Musk that was attended by Malaysia's International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil and SpaceX senior director Lauren Dreyer.
Tesla had said in a tweet earlier on Jul 14 that its model Y car was available for order in Malaysia, its first model in the country.
It said that the first delivery of the car was likely to be early next year and priced from RM199,000 (US$44,000).
Tesla was officially launched in Malaysia on July 20.
In June, Tesla held a walk-in recruitment day in Cyberjaya, Selangor for several positions.
