KUALA LUMPUR: The federal and state governments, and local authorities must enhance the speed of approvals without compromising existing regulations, urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
In a statement today, he said this was to ensure that Malaysia was seen as an attractive destination for investors in the region.
"Although the country has recorded positive economic growth and an increase in the speed of development approvals, I emphasised that the Madani government will continue to strengthen its agenda to ease the process of doing business," he said in a post on Facebook.
Earlier, Anwar chaired the 45th National Physical Planning Council meeting, a platform for discussion between the federal and state governments on matters related to urban, rural, and land use planning in the country.
In the meeting, Anwar said they also discussed mechanisms for controlling and managing rare earth element mining activities.
This, he said, should be balanced with economic returns while considering environmental sustainability and avoiding disruption to protected forest areas.
"Insya-Allah (God willing), the synergy between the federal Government and state Governments will continue to be strengthened to create a more holistic development planning landscape.