M'SIAN PM NAJIB RECEIVES ASEAN TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER AWARD

PETALING JAYA (Malaysia), April 5 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Razak
Monday received the inaugural Asean Transformational Leader Award for his
commitment to transformational leadership for over a decade.

The award was jointly presented by Asian Strategy and Leadership
Institute's (Asli) chairman Dr Jeffrey Cheah and founder of the
Asean Affairs magazine (a leading global magazine on Asean) S.Roy shortly
after Najib delivered his keynote address at the Axiata's 7th Asean Leadership
Forum at Sunway here Monday.

The forum was organised by Asli.

Asean Business Forum president Dr Jannie Tay, in the citation read out
at the ceremony, said the Asean Transformational Leader Award, which was
presented for the first time, was built on the previous Asean Millennium
Achievement Award presented in 2001 to the then Malaysian prime minister, Dr
Mahathir Mohamad and Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

"This award is presented to an Asean leader who has distinguished himself as
a transformational leader and has been able to transform his country and
society," she said.

Present were Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister, Keo Puth Reasmey,
presidential advisor on the Peace Process, Philippines, Annabelle T.Abaya,
foreign diplomats, government and business leaders.

Tay said that Najib, during his tenure as defence minister, went about
transforming the Malaysian Armed Forces with his focus on total quality
management.

As education minister, Najib oversaw the liberalisation of Malaysian
education with his approvals for more private colleges and for initiating a new
Education Act which many education ministers had attempted to introduce but were
unable to do so, she said.

She said that Najib was given the responsibility to oversee Felda when he
was the deputy prime minister, and he set in motion Felda's transformation.

Felda is a government agency focusing on smallholders farms growing cash
crops.

As the prime minister, Najib set about to transform the government with his
emphasis on performance management and 1Malaysia and the National Key Results
Areas (NKRAs) and the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) had set clear goals and
targets for the government, she said.

"His People First approach will enhance delivery of services for the public
and the Government Transformation Programme has set in motion a quantum leap
and a bold commitment to serve the people of Malaysia," she said.

Tay said that at the regional level, the prime minister was actively
involved in and supported peace building in southern Thailand and southern
Philippines.

Earlier, in his speech, Najib said he was honoured and humbled to accept the
award.

"It is particularly appreciated as it is offered jointly by the Asean
Leadership Forum, Asean Affairs magazine and Asean Business Forum," he said.

At the ceremony, Najib was presented a cake which he later cut to celebrate
his first year in office which he completed on Saturday.
-- BERNAMA