4-5 Pct Growth Good Says M'sian Deputy Finance Minister

KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 (Bernama) -- The four to five per cent projected economic growth for Malaysia this year is good and is not out of the proposed growth for South East Asia or Asia. Going by the International Monetary Fund's projection, Asian countries' economy would grow by five per cent this year, Deputy Finance Minister Dr Awang Adek Hussin said Friday. "If we attain four to five per cent growth, we are around there. However, when compared with the initial 5-6 per cent projected growth, it's definitely a decline. "If some people say we cannot achieve the growth as we had projected earlier for this year in the 2012 Budget, this is due to global developments, the world economic climate seems to be weak vis-a-vis our earlier expectations... 4-5 per cent is a good growth. "It's good to be conservative. If we achieve a good growth, it's a bonus. If we get five per cent, we'll be very grateful to God. The world economy now is very unpredictable," he told reporters after launching Exim Bank's two takaful credit products. Awang Adek said Malaysia posted a growth in January despite a drop in exports. "We are optimistic and confident over this growth. We still have domestic sources of growth,” he added. -- BERNAMA