PM: I will not let Malaysia down
Najib and team focusing on ways to overcome the current challenges. INSTEAD of his usual recorded message televised on the eve of National Day celebrations, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak addressed the nation live this year with a promise – he will not let Malaysia fail despite the shrinking currency.
Calling on Malaysians to adopt the 1957 spirit of Merdeka, he also vowed not to let instigators destroy the nation.
Asking people to use the ballot box to judge the Government, he pleaded for calm so that he and his team could focus on ways to overcome the current challenges.
He said there were five indicators showing that Malaysia was on the right track of development.
“The first is that we are still recording a positive growth. We recorded 6% growth last year and 5% this year.
“This is unlike in 1998 when our economy shrunk to negative 7%,” he said at the KL Convention Centre.
Other indicators included strong economic fundamentals, reducing poverty rate from 49.3% in 1970 to 0.6% last year and Gross Domestic Product increasing 47.7% between 2009 and 2014.
Malaysia had also been recognised as the 12th most competitive country in the world, he said. “We can succeed,” he added. Present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa.
Najib also called on the people not to believe rumours that Malaysia would go bankrupt and vowed not to let those “inside and outside” destroy the nation.
He said the Government had also introduced various programmes to help address the rising cost of living.
This article first appeared in The Star on Aug 31, 2015.