DESPITE a strengthening ringgit and a stock market that is looking up, Prime Minister Najib Razak is still waiting for “inspiration” to call the 14th general election.

“What am I waiting for? I don’t know. I am waiting for some sort of spark, you know, what the Malays say ‘ilham’ (inspiration), on what is the best timing for us,” he said when asked by a reporter why he remained coy on the date despite an upbeat market.

“As long as we do things within the ambit of the constitution, I think it’s all right. Let’s see whether we wait until June, or we’ll hold it earlier. We’ll see how things develop,” said Najib, who is also Umno president, after chairing the party’s Supreme Council meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

Earlier during the press conference, Najib acknowledged the improving economic figures.

“The Umno Supreme Council is aware of the country’s economic climate, where the ringgit has strengthened, there is high economic growth, the stock market is at its highest in three years, the inflation rate is low, and also, the unemployment rate is at 4%.

“This indicates that the policies implemented by the government have come to fruition. It is encouraging. It raises business confidence.”

As at 5pm today, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI closed at 1,868.58 points, while the ringgit traded at 3.8985 to the US dollar.

The ringgit went up as high as 3.85 against the US dollar yesterday, the highest since hitting 3.83 in April 2016. The currency broke the 4.0 barrier on January 5 on the back of improving oil prices.

Najib’s “inspiration” remarks were prompted by a question from a reporter, who asked: “As you have pointed out just now, the ringgit is up, the market is up, confidence is up, unemployment is low… what are you waiting for?”

The bullish ringgit is moving in tandem with a strong equity market, which breached the 1,800 level this month.

Malaysia’s economy recorded a higher-than-expected growth of 5.8% last year, thanks to improving domestic demand and labour market, according to the World Bank. – January 30, 2018.