KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today said Malaysians should reject individuals or groups fond of spreading slander, baseless accusation, propaganda and promoting hate politics.
He said no one in the country has the right to do what they please because Malaysia is an independent and sovereign country with its own rule of law as enshrined in the Constitution.
“Although the government is faced with various challenges and obstacles, uncertainty in the global economy and internal political pressure, His Majesty’s government opts to have a big heart, stand firm and move forward,” he said.
He said this in his congratulatory speech to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah in conjunction with his birthday celebration at Istana Negara here today.
The prime minister said nothing is more important to a country’s leadership other than to maintain peace and security in the country.
The government, he said, has never neglected matters pertaining to the country’s security. “Recently, during my official visit to Sabah, the government firmly stated its stand on the claim to Sabah, that in terms of international law, no one can question that Sabah is in Malaysia and the matter is regarded a non-issue,” he added.
Najib also shared Barisan Nasional’s (BN) success in the recent Sarawak state election, where the coalition won 72 of the 82 seats that were contested.
Najib said the win reflected the confidence of the Sarawak people in the leadership of the BN government under the rule of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
He also drew attention to the annual report on the Government’s Transformation Programme (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) which were carried out under the National Transformation Policy.
He said the report, among others, stated five key indicators on the achievements of GTP and ETP for the past six years including the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), fiscal discipline, national per capita income and the trade surplus.
The achievements attained by Malaysia had been recognised at international level and verified by accredited auditors, he added.
Najib said based on a report by Bank Negara, the country’s GDP for the first quarter of this year recorded a growth of 4.2 per cent, despite the current economic situation.
On efforts to address the rising cost of living, he said the government was targeting to build 100,000 units of affordable homes under the 1Malaysia Civil Servants Housing Project (PPA1M).
“As of last May, 82,012 units of PPA1M have been approved and this month, another 24,000 units will be implemented nationwide,” he added.
Najib said he considered himself lucky to be able to serve under the same Yang di-Pertuan Agong who also ruled during the time when his late father, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, was the prime minister.
Tuanku Abdul Halim will complete his term as the 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong this year.
He was also the fifth Yang di-Pertuan Agong from 1970 to 1975. — Bernama
