Slightly more than a year ago, in late Feb 2025, you announced that ARM Holdings Plc, a leading semiconductor company from the United Kingdom, is expected to sign an agreement to establish a base in Malaysia the following week.
You also told reporters earlier on the same morning, the Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, joined you in an online discussion with ARM’s chief executive officer (CEO) and Softbank Group Corp CEO Masayoshi Son.
Reportedly you were also quoted to have said, earlier in the same morning at another event, that ARM, one of the best in the world in terms of semiconductor design and manufacturing choose the country for its investment because Malaysia has political stability and clear policies.
You also reportedly said the agreement is part of Malaysia’s National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), which prioritises areas such as integrated circuit (IC) design, advanced packaging, and front-end semiconductor processes and it aligns with Malaysia’s broader economic and industrial transformation strategies, focusing on talent development and enhancing supply chain resiliency.
Credit to you for honestly and openly acknowledging that the arrival of such investments also presents challenges for the country in ensuring an adequate supply of young, professional workforce.
Fast forward to one year later i.e Feb 2026.
Following a report lodged by 3 NGOs namelyPertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa), Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) and Pertubuhan Angkatan Nadi Jiwa Islam Malaysia (Panji Malaysia) alleging misappropriation by a former Minister linked to the investment, MACC reportedly has opened an investigation paper and is looking into a RM1.11 billion deal with UK-based semiconductor firm ARM Holdings, whether the deal, which involved a 10-year payment schedule, was handled properly.
Dear PMX, tell us that you are not serious in allowing this matter to go through the process.
Securing an investment or partnership from Arm Holdings Plc (ARM) is widely considered a major achievement for a country, particularly for emerging economies looking to advance their technology sectors.
As the CEO of ARM told Bloomberg in an interview after confirming their agreement to invest into the country, Malaysia is turbocharging and kick-starting an ecosystem.
As the dominant designer of processor architectures used in over 99% of smartphones and increasingly in data centers, AI, and automotive systems, an investment by Arm represents a "seal of approval" for a nation's technical capabilities, infrastructure, and political stability.
Even the US is now trying to revive semiconductor manufacturing at home.
But establishing a production base entails not just incentives and capital, but also attracting the necessary talent and the hundreds of smaller suppliers that form a viable chip ecosystem.
When a top-tier firm like Arm chooses a location for an "ASEAN hub" as in Malaysia, it acts as a catalyst, signaling to other global tech companies that the country possesses the necessary infrastructure, stability, and workforce to support high-tech operations.
As tech giants seek to diversify supply chains, partnerships with foundational companies like ARM Holdings help the country to bolster our position in the global tech ecosystem, moving away from simple assembly to critical design roles.
A local tech ecosystem led by our own chipmakers would raise Malaysia’s profile in a world of shifting global supply chains and also drive development of cutting-edge manufacturing processes at home.
SoftBank Group, based in Japan, owns 90% in ARM Holdings, and the presence of ARM’s senior leadership underscores their confidence in Malaysia’s clear policies aimed at becoming a regional hub for semiconductor design, manufacturing, and innovation.
To allow the politicians and groups to drag ARM and Softbank names into their political greed is truly insulting to them.
Through their current political games, these politicians are `indirectly’ accusing both ARM Holdings and its parent, Softbank of conniving and conducting corrupt practices with politicians and their cronies in this country.
With the deal with ARM being tossed around in a game of political thrones between competing groups in your political party, PKR, it is not only a major test for the country, it is also a test whether Softbank would want to continue with their investment via ARM Holdings into the country.
Softbank and ARM Holdings can always shift their focus to our neighbor, Indonesia, who, in Jan 2026 signed a partnership with ARM Holdings, with an initial investment of US$124.5 million to develop a national semiconductor ecosystem in Indonesia.
In an agreement signed in Dec 2025 with the government of South Korea, ARM Holdings agreed to set up a chip design school in South Korea where it aims to train about 1,400 high-level chip design specialists to support the country’s system-semiconductor and fabless sectors.
Perhaps it is time for you to show leadership and call for a stop to this political chicanery.
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