JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Ekonomi Malaysia nampaknya kian genting! Kepercayaan pasar jatuh ke titik nadir. Krisis politik yang semakin menentu di tengah perlambatan ekonomi membuat Negeri Jiran itu memasuki tubir krisis.

Nilai tukar ringgit hilang otot. Hingga Kamis (27/8/2015), kurs ringgit sudah di posisi RM 4,2318 per dollar AS, anjlok 31 persen dalam setahun. Kurs ringgit itu sejajar dengan level 17 tahun silam dan menjadi mata uang dengan kinerja terburuk di kawasan Asia.

Bursa saham Malaysia juga ikut terseret. Indeks KLCI terkulai lemah di level 1.601,70, terendah dalam tiga tahun terakhir. Hingga Juli 2015, dana asing bersih (net outflow) yang cabut dari bursa Malaysia sudah mencapai 3 miliar dollar AS, setara Rp 42,38 triliun dengan kurs Rp 14.128 per dollar AS.

Adapun, cadangan devisa Malaysia kini tersisa 92,67 miliar dollar AS. Performa ini bisa kian runyam, karena kelompok masyarakat sipil dan organisasi politik Malaysia yang tergabung di Koalisi untuk Pemilu Bersih dan Adil (Bersih 2.0) akan melakukan aksi demonstrasi besar pada 29-30 Agustus, sehari jelang perayaan kemerdekaan 31 Agustus.

Perdana Menteri Malaysia, Najib Razak pun bergegas membentuk special economic task force alias gugus tugas ekonomi khusus. Tugas tim adalah menyiapkan strategi tangkal krisis. "Mereka akan membuat strategi jangka pendek dan menengah untuk perkuat negara," ujar Najib.

Adanya tim ini, Pemerintah Malaysia akan lebih responsif dan tegas dalam menghadapi ketidakpastian ekonomi. Tim diharapkan bisa memulihkan lagi kepercayaan publik yang turun akibat kasus dugaan korupsi di 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MBD).

Tim ini dipimpin Abdul Wahid Omar, eks Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Malayan Banking Berhad. Chairman CIMB Group Nazir Razak juga masuk tim. Lalu, mantan Menteri Keuangan II Malaysia, Nor Mohamed Yakcop juga akan memperkuat tim bentukan Najib itu.

Nor Mohamed adalah salah satu kreator ekonomi era pemerintahan mantan Perdana Menteri Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad. Tim itu akan bertemu insentif tiap pekan untuk membahas dan mengusulkan langkah konkret dalam menyikapi perkembangan ekonomi domestik dan global.

"Termasuk membahas isu-isu nilai tukar ringgit, stabilitas pasar dan menjaga kepercayaan pasar modal," tulis pernyataan resmi dari kantor perdana menteri Malaysia seperti dikutip di laman www.channelnewsasia.com, Rabu (26/8/2015).

Langkah siaga Malaysia itu patut kita cermati. Sebab, jika ekonomi Malaysia kian memburuk, efek dominonya bisa merembet ke Indonesia. Apalagi, Malaysia termasuk mitra dagang penting kita.

Pengamat pasar modal Arman Boy Manullang bilang, ancaman krisis ekonomi di Malaysia lebih mengkhawatirkan ketimbang Indonesia. Antisipasi pemerintah dan BI hadapi guncangan ekonomi cukup baik. "Yang terpenting adalah mengatur arus masuk dan keluar dollar AS," ujar Arman. (Yuwono Triatmodjo)

As the ringgit continues to slide, Singaporean businesses in Malaysia are concerned that a period of financial crisis lies ahead.

Some, like home furnishing business Goodrich Global, go as far as to compare it with the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

"The signs of a crisis are quite imminent. In 1997, it was something like this," Goodrich Global head Chan Chong Beng was quoted as saying in a report by The Straits Times.

Chan said when he signed contracts with his Malaysian clients three months ago, the ringgit had been at around 2.69 to the Singapore dollar.

"By the time we collected the money, it was over three (ringgit) to a dollar. We didn't expect it to go so steep! That easily takes off 15% of our net profit," he said in the report.

According to Chan, the situation arose as contracts sealed in Malaysia are normally denominated in ringgit.

However, the ringgit’s recent decline has seen it plumbing new lows against the US and Singapore dollar, hitting 4.2990 per US dollar and 3.0504 to the Singapore dollar as of yesterday.

Only five years ago, the ringgit stood at 2.30 to the Singapore dollar. However, Malaysia has been struggling to boost confidence in its economy amid slumping oil prices and alleged financial scandals involving state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which in debt to the tune of RM42 billion.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is under scrutiny over a RM2.6 billion donation found in his personal bank accounts, which critics have linked to Barisan Nasional’s political campaign in the 2013 general election.

Allegations of the donation first surfaced in a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on July 2, citing documents from Malaysian investigators.

Najib said he had been cleared of corruption by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) but remains under pressure from both the opposition and Umno, especially his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, whom he axed from Cabinet late last month.

Malaysia's international reserves meanwhile have fallen to US$94.5 billion (RM401 billion) – the lowest level since September 2009 – Bank Negara said last week, raising concerns over its ability to manage the depreciating currency.

At their weakest levels during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Malaysia’s forex reserves dropped to US$20 billion. Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz has ruled out a return to a fixed exchange rate. – August 27, 2015.
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