‘MALAYSIA A GLOBAL VOICE FOR ISLAM’
Country has made its stand on Palestine, Rohingya issues, says Najib
DATUK Seri Najib Razak yesterday reiterated Malaysia’s commitment to be a leading global voice for Islam and Muslims.
In his first post of the year on his blog najibrazak.com, the prime minister said this was evident in Malaysia’s strong stand against the United States’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city, as well as the nation’s stand against the persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar.
“Among the recent issues was the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Malaysia is strongly against this. Never will we agree.
“I have repeatedly stated our stand at the Umno General Assembly, the OIC extraordinary meeting in Istanbul and at the Save Jerusalem Solidarity Gathering,” Najib wrote.
He said the atrocities against the Rohingya deeply affected Muslims here, thus Malaysia had played its role in raising issues not just on the Asean platform, but also globally.
“We have extended continuous aid to ease the suffering of the Rohingya, also opening our doors to some of them to share the peace and stability in Malaysia, while the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and Myanmar continue to receive various forms of aid from Malaysia.”
He said in February, through the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Yayasan Ikhlas, RM172,500 worth of aid was delivered via a Bangladeshi NGO to Rohingya at the Kutupalong and Balukhali camps in Bangladesh.
In September, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi oversaw the delivery of humanitarian aid worth RM4 million to Rohingya at the Bangladeshi border.
“Then, 12 tonnes of food and essential goods, such as disposable diapers, towels, rice and biscuits, were sent to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh through a joint humanitarian aid mission by the armed forces, Prime Minister’s Office and NGO 1M4U,” said Najib.
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisation (Mapim) and other Islamic NGOs had also sent food and medicine worth RM200,000 to more than 140,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Mercy Malaysia had also opened a mobile clinic at the refugee camps in Thangkali and Kutupalong.
“Apart from the continuous delivery of aid, the government had also established Medan Hospital at a cost of RM3.5 million, equipped with 50 beds and the capacity to treat 150 patients at any given time.
“It is also equipped to perform surgeries, X-ray and maternal care in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh,” said Najib.
“The Medan Hospital was established to provide medical care for Rohingya refugees, including screenings for pregnant women.”
Najib said Malaysia would continue to provide aid to Muslims in Palestine and Myanmar, but in order for the atrocities and discrimination to truly end, Muslims in Malaysia and across the world need to stand united.