GREAT JOB: Najib speaking at the monthly assembly. The prime minister thanked public service officers for helping the government attain globally-recognised success.— Bernama photo
PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said yesterday the country’s biggest success this year was shielding the nation and people from the global financial crisis.
He said the success was no mere feat because many other countries were in a state of uncertainty and had seen their economies crash, while Malaysia achieved a moderately high growth.
“That’s not all. Much recognition was showered on us at the international level because we achieved a commendable economic growth in a situation when the world faced challenging external factors.
“Additionally, the process of national development, taking care of the people’s well-being, socio-economic programmes and the national transformation agenda went on smoothly and effectively,” he said at the monthly assembly of the Prime Minister’s Department, here.
Najib said the country’s greatness was also evident when he delivered speeches at international forums and conferences as a representative of a successful nation.
“It is a major success which all of us can be proud of because it is not the success of mine alone but of all of us collectively,” he said.
In this context, the prime minister recorded his thanks to the public service officers who had helped the government attain the globally-recognised success, and expressed the hope that the momentum would continue.
At the same time, he said, it was hoped that the developments in Palestine would be taken as a lesson, that unless the peace and stability of a country were safeguarded well, the country might lose everything.
“It is not only that we will not be able to bring further progress, development and renewal, but whatever we have achieved and nurtured may be destroyed.
“It is also necessary to fortify our resilience against the known or unknown enemy as failure to do so may cause the country and people to become victims of those people uncomfortable with us or who have the desire to conquer or dominate us,” he said at the event where he also launched a ministry-level fund, ‘Tabung Tangisan Gaza’, to aid the Palestinians.
The prime minister also said that in international politics, the influence of a country depended on the perception of other countries as to its success.
If Malaysia wanted a higher profile, to be respected and revered by other countries, it would have to demonstrate and portray itself as an increasingly successful nation, he said. — Bernama