SYMBOLIC LAUNCHING: Najib officiates at the ground breaking ceremony of Lupak Meluas mosque at Batu Sapi. Also seen is Musa. — Bernama photo
SANDAKAN: The country’s encouraging economic growth has enabled the government to implement development programmes and channel aid to the people.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak said that was the reason why the Barisan Nasional (BN) had made it a priority to do its best in managing the country especially with regard to economic growth.
He said the BN could manage the country well currently although other countries were facing problems.
“We have managed the country well while countries in Europe were being saddled with debts, the United States (US) is facing problems due to its political clashes while countries in the Middle East were undergoing uprisings.
“Malaysia, on the contrary, is recording economic growth that has received praise from the international community,” he said at a Gathering With The People in the Batu Sapi parliamentary constituency and the groundbreaking ceremony for the Kampung Lupak Meluas Mosque, near here yesterday.
Upon completion, the new mosque built at a cost of RM5 million would become the biggest in Batu Sapi and located beside the Public Housing Project area where 180 housing units are now under construction.
According to Najib, the country’s economic growth rate also received praise from the chairman of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde whom he had met recently.
“We have achieved good economic growth, and when the country’s revenue increases, the economy improves and we distribute this wealth to the people,” he said.
“That’s the principle that I hold on to in the aspect of social justice.
“The 1Malaysia concept was introduced not merely as a slogan but it has principles and comprehensiveness,” he said.
Najib said the government implemented the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) due to the strong national economic revenue and it is being continued for BR1M2.0 next year.
The opposition, on the contrary, had organised riots and demonstrations through the Bersih 1.0 and 2.0 gatherings to the extent of attacking members of the security force and damaging police vehicles, he said.
Even worse, the prime minister said, the leader of the opposition party sought assistance from the developed nations to intervene in the country’s general election.
“Fortunately, the Australian people know that the democracy in our country was the right that was decided by the people of Malaysia themselves.
“They did not want to intervene because they knew that in the general election in Malaysia previously, we (BN) won in a fair and clean manner,” Najib pointed out.
He criticised the action of the opposition party leader who had painted a wrong picture of the country to tarnish its image abroad. — Bernama