KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is not only a prime advocate of good ties between Malaysia and China, but his own family has also had good relations with China for three generations, the local ethnic Chinese community said today.
Tan Sri Pheng Yin Huah, president of the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) that oversees all local Chinese associations, said Najib had in his official capacity formed good ties with China.
“From the 1990s, Datuk Seri Najib first as defence minister, education minister, deputy prime minister until the position now as prime minister has visited China many times.
“In between, he brought his mother Tun Rahah Mohammad Noah to revisit places there, and also sent his son Ji Ping to China to learn Mandarin. One family, three generations — have a very close and good relationship with China,” he said, referring to Najib’s son Norashman whose name in Mandarin is Ji Ping.
Pheng said Najib had continued his late father and former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein’s legacy of establishing diplomatic ties with China, declaring Najib to be the one who had formed the closest ties and trade relations with China out of all the prime ministers in Malaysia.
“To Malaysians, the late prime minister Tun Razak definitely is the most important promoter of Malaysia-China’s diplomatic ties, while Datuk Seri Najib Razak is the most important promoter of Malaysia-China’s relations,” he declared.
Stressing the importance of political stability in maintaining the good ties between Malaysia and China, Pheng further said: “As the Chinese community or citizens, we don’t hope and cannot allow the good relations between Malaysia and China that has been built up over many generations by predecessors and leaders to be affected and destroyed because of some people’s agenda and political reasons.”
Pheng was speaking at Huazong’s Chinese New Year gathering that was attended by 1,200 people, including those from 118 Chinese associations, Najib, his wife Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor as well as ministers Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, and Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong.
Later in a speech at the same event, Najib highlighted that his father was the first Southeast Asian leader then to establish diplomatic ties with China back in 1974, adding that China’s leaders never fail to mention his father’s role in initiating ties when he visited.
Museum
In his speech, Pheng requested that the government provide financial assistance for the Malaysian Chinese museum that is currently slated for completion by the end of this year.
It is understood that the museum will include over 1,000 collected artefacts and replicas that will be spread out over 11,000 square feet in Wisma Huazong, which itself was built with a RM8-million assistance from the federal government.
Najib noted that the federal government had previously approved tax deduction on RM43 million of donations from the corporate sector for the construction of Huazong’s now-completed headquarters Wisma Huazong, adding that his request to a highway concessionaire saw Huazong saving RM2.5 million.
As for the museum, Najib said he was told it would show the contributions of the Malaysian Chinese in the country, including during the fight for independence and in the development of the nation.
“The government wishes to contribute dollar per dollar in the running of this museum so that we can tell future generations and all Malaysians that this country was built on the sweat, tears and entrepreneurial drive of the Chinese working together with the Malays, Indians and the other ethnic groups in Malaysia,” he said, adding that this was the “unity in diversity” that Malaysia wished to promote.
