Najib: 2018 to be year of success
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak wants 2018 to be the year of success and impressive results.
In a blog post on najibrazak.com yesterday, Najib said he wanted Malaysians, especially civil servants, to be creative and innovative, and to think outside the box to provide excellent service.
The year 2017, he said, was the year of delivery, and he intended to make 2018 the “year of success and impressive results”.
He said the Barisan Nasional government had completed 97.6 per cent of its 17 initiatives and 156 strategic initiatives.
“What I want is for the government to continue to succeed in terms of service delivery. We excel in upgrading our values and skills, including world-class work quality, ever-increasing productivity, a culture of creativity and innovation, and succeed in all aspects of work and in providing a service to the people.
“Let us together ensure that the government wins big in the coming 14th General Election, for we want to continue to serve and execute our noble agendas and initiatives, which are for the greater good of the people.”
Najib said he wanted the government, country and Malaysians to not only be successful and well-balanced, but also achieve duniawi (worldly) and ukhrawi (afterlife) excellence.
He said the economy exceeded all expectations when it grew 6.2 per cent in the third quarter of last year, compared with 4.3 per cent in the corresponding period in 2016.
The World Bank, he said, revised its estimates for the country’s economic growth three times, from 4.9 per cent to 5.8 per cent.
“Subsequently, many respected global institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, praised Malaysia’s economic growth, as well as the government’s wise management of the economy.
“(They also) acknowledged that the country’s economic resilience and competitiveness have strengthened,” he said, adding that the international community’s confidence in Malaysia had gone from strength to strength.
He said last year saw the recovery of the ringgit, which continued to strengthen against the US dollar. The ringgit continued its upward momentum to open at a 19-month high of 3.9880 against the US dollar yesterday, compared with 4.4900 during the same period last year.
“The ringgit emerged as the best currency in the region in November last year. The strengthening of the currency reflects our strong economy.”
He said the government expected the economy to remain resilient this year, with an actual gross domestic product growth of between five and 5.5 per cent.
Najib urged civil servants to work hard alongside the government to maintain Malaysia’s status as a role model to other Muslim countries.
“It is time for Malaysia to prove its credibility as a successful global player in all dimensions and angles.”
He said Malaysia, for example, had advocated for humanitarian rights for Syrians, the Rohingya and Palestinians. The country would remain resolute in rejecting the proposal to make Jerusalem the capital of Israel.
Najib touched on Malaysia’s active role in Asean and the Islamic world, as well its strong relations with China, Japan, the United States, Saudi Arabia and India.
The government, he said, had a proven track record with a clear vision and mission, which were complemented by inclusive and comprehensive planning.
“For example, Malaysia is already ahead and is being prepared to become a high-income, advanced nation by 2020.”
He said the government aimed to raise the country’s economic value and trade to RM2 trillion by 2025, besides preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution by 2030.
“This will put Malaysia on the list of the world’s 20 most advanced nations, which is in line with the Transformasi Nasional 2050 initiative. This shows that we are a government that is constantly transforming to ensure the future of the country and its people. Do not let this nation be returned to ancient times when (the country) was under an iron fist and an autocracy.”
Najib said he wanted the country and government to remain strong, stable and prosperous in all fields, including the economy, security, religion and education.
“Together, let us spread goodness, achieve delivery and continue with efforts for the benefit of the people. We need to fend off the war of perception, propaganda and allegations hurled by irresponsible quarters.”
Najib said the launch of the Digital Free Trade Zone had placed Malaysia as the first digital economy hub outside China, which was expected to create more than 60,000 jobs for the youth.