Vote BN to maintain peace, harmony: DPM

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today spoke about "Malaysia then and now" to highlight Barisan Nasional's (BN) accomplishments, during his campaign to touch base with the Malay community here.

Speaking to more than 1,200 BN supporters in the Pasir Panjang state constituency, he said Malaysia has achieved all that it has today because of BN's efforts and urged the people not to forget the services of the government.

"The Opposition will always say that development in Malaysia is unfair and that it helps only one race and neglects others.

"You can see for yourselves whether the allegations hurled at the government are true," Muhyiddin said.

Stressing that Perak is one of the states in the country that has reduced its poverty rate, he said this could only be achieved under BN.

Pointing to the growing economy in the country, Muhyiddin compared how people lived 30 years ago to the living standards today.

"This is the reason all of you should vote for BN. All these years, people have lived comfortably and peacefully.

"Do you want to change this situation? Do you want a country with chaos and disharmony?" he asked.

Muhyiddin said the Opposition's cries for change (ubah) will not work, because the people are comfortable with what they have now.

NAJIB TUN RAZAK TO CONVENE MEETING TO FIND SOLUTION ON RECOGNITION OF UEC TO ENTER IPTA

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will soon convene a meeting with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education to find a solution that will be acceptable to all on the recognition of Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) to enter local public higher learning institutions (IPTA).
In a joint statement by Najib tun Razak and United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong), it said the meeting yesterday, among others had discussed on the issue concerning the recognition of the UEC which relates
to applications for entering IPTA.
“There was a discussion on requirement of students from Chinese medium schools to have at least a credit in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Bahasa Malaysia paper along with the UEC, as a condition for applying to IPTA.
“There was also discussion on the issue of accreditation to the UEC Bahasa Malaysia subject,” it said.
Yesterday, Najib Tun Razak met six representatives from Dong Zong at the Prime Minister’s Office at Kompleks Perdana Putra here.
Najib Tun Razak became the first prime minister to have met Dong Zong since it was established 59 years ago.
Dong Zong was led by its chairman, Dr Yap Sin Tian, deputy chairman Chow Siew Hon, vice chairmen Kho Hai Meng and Wang Toon Jui, secretary-general Poh Chin Chuan and treasurer Lim Kock Chai.
In the historic one-hour meeting, Najib and Dong Zong representatives also discussed and exchanged ideas on the betterment of Chinese education in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Yap said Dong Zong was hoping to get some good news from the prime minister, however, there were some ‘technical problems’ on the accreditation of Bahasa Malaysia subject in UEC which need further discussion.
“We hope to get some good news soon… maybe before the general election,” he told reporters here yesterday. — Bernama

WOMEN TO BE ‘EYES AND EARS OF GOVERNMENT’, SAYS NAJIB RAZAK

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched a women community group programme today to enable women to report crime and threats to national security.

The 1 Malaysia Perwani Community programme, which aims to set up 100,000 Perwani groups throughout Malaysia comprising 10 to 20 women each, will be linked to organisations like the Police Families Association (Perkep), the Malaysian Armed Forces Family Welfare Association (Bakat) and the Wives of Civil Servants and Women Civil Servants Association (Puspanita).

“The role of the Perwani group is to be the eyes and ears of the government in fighting crime and threats to national security,” said Najib Razak in a speech at the One Million Women Purple Walk event at Dataran Putrajaya here today.

“This can be achieved through current organisations like residents’ associations, Puspanita, Perkep, Bakat, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs), and other NGOs like women’s and single mothers’ groups,” he added.

Najib Tun Razak also stressed to the crowd of thousands of women dressed in purple that the government wanted to empower women and include them in the mainstream of the country’s development process.

“In our struggle to realise our country’s vision, women play an important role,” he said at the event celebrating International Women’s Day 2013.

Najib Tun Razak  pointed out that 30 out of 62 High Court judges are women.

Najib Razak also urged government-linked corporations to appoint at least one woman in their boards.

However, the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) latest Gender Inequality Index released last week showed that Malaysia ranked 42 out of 148 countries surveyed last year.

While Malaysia performed better than Thailand (66), the Philippines (77) and Indonesia (106), the country again trailed Singapore, which placed 13 in the chart that graded countries based on the level of women’s empowerment, their economic activity and their reproductive health.

While women make up half of Malaysia’s 13.1 million-strong registered voters, the UNDP noted that women formed only 13.2 per cent of the elected lawmakers in Parliament.

Political analysts and observers have said that women and young voters form a significant voting bloc that could decide which party wins the 13th general elections due just weeks away.

Najib Razak said today that women made up 62 per cent of university graduates.

The UNDP, however, reported last Friday that women comprised only 43.8 per cent of the Malaysian workforce, showing men still dominated the labour market.

According to the UNDP, 29 Malaysian women died from pregnancy-related problems for every 100,000 who delivered their babies safely.

The global theme for International Women’s Day this year is ending violence against women.

Domestic violence, however, has been on the rise in Malaysia for the past three years, from 3,173 cases in 2010 to 3,488 cases last year, based on police and government statistics provided by NGO Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO).

But rape has declined steadily over the years from 3,626 cases in 2009 to 2,998 cases in 2012.

Najib Razak : Govt has met most goals

KUALA LUMPUR: PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said last night  the government has met the majority of its  goals under the National Transformation Programme, and is  on track to meet its goal of becoming a high-income nation earlier than 2020.

Announcing the results of the government's report card for last year in the form of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and Government Transformation Plan (GTP), he said the achievements were proof of the government's dedication to the 1Malaysia philosophy of "People First, Performance Now".

Najib Razak described ETP and GTP as "the bravest experiment undertaken by any government in the world to practise the principles of transparency and responsibility"."The task to become a high-income nation by 2020 is ambitious, but attainable."With this transformation agenda, I am responsible for its success and am bound by its results."I want to help Malaysia realise its exceptional potential," he told the audience at Auditorium Perdana at Angkasapuri.

Najib Razak said initiatives taken to boost the living standards of low-income households had lowered the poverty rate to 1.7 per cent last year from 3.8 per cent in 2009.The income gap narrowed to 0.431 as per the Gini coefficient ratio (a measure of inequality of income or wealth) last year, compared with 0.441 in 2009.A lower Gini coefficient ratio equates to a more equal distribution of wealth, with "0" corresponding to complete equality.

The country's per capita income last year, he said, stood at US$9,970 (RM31,131), compared with US$257 (RM802) in 1957, which is a 4,000 per cent leap in five decades.

In addition, the average household income last year stood at RM5,000, a jump from RM4,025 in 2009.

The construction of 35,000 new homes had also enabled more medium- and low-income families to own their own properties.

The efforts by the government had resulted in 99.9 per cent of households from the extreme poor category moving out of the bracket over the last three years.

"As part of our initiative to ensure that rural communities share in the country's progress, more than 3,300km of roads have been built, more than 1.4 million homes provided with clean water and 470,000 homes enjoy round-the-clock electricity supply."

The government's stand on the importance of early education, he said, had seen more than 2,000 preschool classes established, leading to a more than 80 per cent pre-school enrolment last year compared with 67 per cent the previous year.Touching on the ETP, he said it had continued to meet its targets, with RM32 billion in investments secured via 39 projects last year.

"Since the ETP's launch in 2010, private investment has grown more than three-fold, recording a 22 per cent increase in 2012."

The ETP had since announced 149 projects, worth RM211 billion in investments, and is projected to add another RM136 billion to the gross national income and create 408,443 jobs.

Najib Razak said in line with the government's stand on transparency, the results had been subject to review and verification by international experts on the International Performance Review Panel and auditing house PricewaterhouseCoopers Malaysia.

"What we have achieved, and failed to achieve, is on display for everyone to see."

Najib Razak reiterated that the Barisan Nasional government was one that kept its promises.

"We place the people's wellbeing above all else.

"That is why before promising something to the people, we study it first as to whether it will benefit the people and not burden them, whether it is temporary or for the long term.

"Secondly, we ask ourselves, is this promise something we can keep? We do not make empty promises."

Najib urges Malaysian youths to take up volunteer work

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today called on Malaysian youths to give back to the community by getting involved in volunteer programmes. The prime minister Najib Tun Razak said his vision for Malaysian youths is for them to get involved in helping their communities.

“The key thing is you do not expect anything in return. The only thing that you will get is the sense of self-accomplishment and self-satisfaction that you have contributed something. “I believe if you contribute something and help others, you are going to feel a lot better yourself ... trust me. That is the great feeling that you cannot get by other activities,” he said in his speech at the iM4U Reach Out Youth and Volunteerism Convention at the Taylor’s Lakeside Campus, here. 

1 Malaysia for Youth (iM4U) is a common platform for Malaysian youths to carry out volunteer activities that can benefit communities social groups. The platform also provides financial support for volunteer projects through its Dana Sukarelawan 1 Malaysia (DRe1M). 

Najib said Malaysian youths must also remember those who had fought and died to keep the country free and peaceful. “Unfortunately, yesterday we lost two very brave policemen who died in the line of duty so that we can live in peace in this country. These are the people who have made a lot of difference for Malaysia,” he added. 

Two police commandos were killed yesterday in a gun battle in Sabah with armed intruders claiming to be from the Sulu Sultanate in the Philippines. Najib also called upon the private sector to support volunteerism initiatives throughout the country. 

“We welcome all the corporate players out there to join hands with us in spreading the spirit of volunteerism across the country. I remember that there was a time when the private sector would reward an organisation that gives back to the community effectively through its corporate responsibility programmes,” he said. “Thus, I would like to take this chance to call upon the private sector to not only join us, but also to support volunteerism initiatives throughout the country ,” he said. 

On iM4U, Najib Tun Razak said they were looking at expanding the list of ambassadors who would rally more youths to take part in volunteering activities across the nation. “I was also made to understand that the iM4U Facebook page to date has 40,000 likes and 8,000 followers on Twitter. In addition, more than 300 activities have been approved since its inception via the DRe1M fund, with almost RM700,000 given out to fund these activities. 

“One hundred outreach centres have been set up across the public and private universities across Malaysia and, in fact, I will be launching the outreach centre at Puncak Alam (Selangor) later today,” he said.

Najib Tun Razak's Contributions

The lifelong dream of Malaysia’s 6th Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak, is a united, peaceful and prosperous Malaysia, with abundant opportunities for all citizens. As the son of Malaysia’s second Prime Minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak, Najib was born into Malaysian politics. Najib grew up watching his father and knew the demands of mainstream politics, and he always knew that at some point in his life he wanted to serve his community and country. But the untimely passing of his father on January 14th, 1976, at the age of 54, suddenly thrust Najib into the spotlight. Five weeks after his father’s passing, Najib, at the age of 22, was elected to fill the Pekan vacancy, becoming the youngest Member of Parliament in Malaysia’s history. In 2004 he ascended to the second-highest office in the nation, Deputy Prime Minister, 47 years after his father’s appointment to the same post. His contribution is phenomenon.

Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak was born on July 23rd 1953 in Kuala Lipis, Pahang. He was educated at St. John’s Institution in Kuala Lumpur and Malvern Boy’s College in Worcestershire, England before earning a degree in Industrial Economics from Nottingham University. Returning to Malaysia in 1974, he entered the corporate world, serving briefly in Bank Negara (Central Bank) and later with PETRONAS (the national petroleum corporation) as a Public Affairs Manager. But the untimely death of Tun Abd Razak dramatically altered the course of his life.

NajibTun Razak brings Evolution

Najib Tun Razak quickly adapted to public life as a Member of Parliament, and soon found that the art of politics came naturally to him. Within a short time, the young Najib showed that he was a credible and capable politician and a leader in his own right. In his first year as an MP he was appointed Deputy Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Posts, and later served as Deputy Minister of Education and Deputy Minister of Finance. In 1982 the nation’s new Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, placed Dato’s Sri Mohd Najib to contest the State Assembly seat of Pekan. Following Najib’s election victory, the 29-year-old Najib became the Menteri Besar of Pahang, the biggest state in Peninsular Malaysia. Pahang was at the time on the verge of a political crisis due to serious differences between the previous MB and the Sultan of Pahang. But Najib was not only a rising political star, he was one of the Four Noblemen of the Pahang Royal Court (by virtue of his inherited title as the Orang Kaya Indera Shahbandar) and he was warmly welcomed by the palace. The crisis quickly abated, ensuring the unity of Pahang UMNO whilst Najib embarked upon measures to strengthen education in the state. In 1982 Najib played a key role in establishing Yayasan Pahang, a foundation dedicated to promoting education and sports among the youth of Pahang through scholarships and funding. Najib strengthened state enterprises to maximize earnings from Pahang’s abundant natural resources. In cooperation with FELDA, the Federal Land Development Authority, he paved the way for the establishment of new land settlement schemes, 2 providing new income opportunities for those who were landless and in the lower income group. Najib’s appointment will definitely bring evolution in the country

NajibTun Razak’s Nation Building Initiatives

Dato’s Sri Mohd Najib became the deputy chief of UMNO Youth in 1982, and assumed the top job in the organization in 1987. In 1988, after a struggle for control of the party, a newly reconstituted UMNO came into being and Najib was appointed as Youth Chief, a post he held until 1993.

In the 1986 general elections Najib was returned as the Member of Parliament for Pekan, and was appointed as Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports. He immediately focused on improving Malaysian sports and introduced the National Sports Policy in 1988. In 1989 Malaysia achieved its best-ever performance at the South East Asia (SEA) Games, which were held that year in Kuala Lumpur.

NajibTun Razak believes in Social Justice

In 1991, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib was appointed Minister of Defence. Najib revitalized a Ministry that was seen as lethargic and listless, and modernized the Malaysian Armed Forces through strategic capability enhancement, procurements and exercises. In 1995, Dato’ Sri Najib had a change in cabinet portfolio and was appointed Minister of Education. His challenge was to respond to Malaysia’s newly proclaimed aspiration to become a fully developed nation by the year 2020. During his five-year tenure, Najib put into place the mechanisms that would enable a generation of Malaysians to meet the challenges of the future. He restructured the Ministry, corporatized the public universities, and encouraged collaboration with foreign universities and institutions. This provided more educational opportunities for Malaysians and positioned Malaysia as a regional learning hub. Dato’ Sri Najib also upgraded teaching certificates to the status of diplomas, so that teachers in that category would receive a higher monthly starting salary.

NajibTun Razak promotes Security

In 1999, following the political turmoil of the year before, Najib won re-election to his Pekan Parliamentary seat. He was then appointed as Minister of Defence for the second time and resumed his efforts to improve and modernize the Malaysian Armed Forces. Upon his appointment in 2004 as Deputy Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Najib was given a broad portfolio of responsibilities, including oversight of FELDA, the Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM), and the Election Commission. He also chairs more than 28 Cabinet Committees which preside over a wide range of issues. Dato’ Sri Najib is married to YABhg Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor, and is the proud father of five children. Being Defence minister his priority is to promote security for all Malaysians.

On April 3rd 2009, before the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak was appointed Prime Minister of Malaysia in a smooth handover from YAB Datuk Seri Abdullah Hj Ahmad Badawi

Najibpromotes Moderation

The concept of "wasatiyyah" or moderation as taught by Prophet Muhammad should prevail to ensure that the mission of building a progressive and competitive nation is achieved, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. In his message in conjunction with Prophet Muhammad's birthday celebration Thursday, Najib said the Prophet was a role model who practiced moderation in his life and the concept had brought about unity and solidarity of Muslims throughout the world."Moderation as practiced by the Prophet has resulted in creating the momentum to drive the development of each race and country in the world."Therefore, this momentum needs to continue to ensure our mission to build a progressive and competitive country is achieved," he said in his personal blog

NajibTun Razak’s National Policies

  On the era of Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak, some major policies was initiated by him. One of them is New Economic Model (NEM) which was unveiled on 30th March 2010. The aim of this policy is to change the ethnically based economy to all needed based economy where any ethnic can involve in a particular economy business which brings more competitive among them, more market and more investor. The main goal for this policy is to transform the Malaysian economy to become one with high income and quality growth. It also to simulate the productivity of workers across the all sectors of society. NEM seeks empower of private sectors and want to reduce the comparison between the wealthier and poorer Malaysian. NEM was initiated for replacing New Economy Plan (NEP). This NEM programme was supported and criticized by government parties, NGO and other sources too.

 The main policy Najib Tun Razak brought right after he become Malaysia’s sixth prime minister was initiating One Malaysia concept with “People First, Performance Now”. One Malaysia concept stresses more in national unity and ethnic tolerance where eight values were included, that is perseverance, a culture of excellence, acceptance, loyalty, education, humility, integrity and meritocracy. The important aspect in One Malaysia is to improve the quality of government services towards peoples.