MALAYSIAN PM WANTS TO WORK HAND-IN-HAND WITH MALAYSIANS FOR EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENTS

KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak Sunday
called on Malaysians to work hand-in-hand with him to achieve something
extraordinary, in transforming and leading Malaysia towards something better.

He said he wanted Malaysians to be a part of the family of 1Malaysia and
with their support, the country would achieve higher goals.

"I took the leadership to show that I am serious, committed and dedicated. I
can assure you, as your prime minister, I will do my level best to transform
Malaysia.

"Of course, this journey I cannot make alone, I need my colleagues in the
government, all of us in the private and public sectors. I need every Malaysian,
wherever you are, to join me to work hand-in-hand to achieve something
extraordinary. It is all about achieving results," he said in his latest post in
www.1malaysia.com.my here.

Najib said hard work was good because he was driven to do his best, as a
government must do the best for the people.

"We are pushing as hard as possible, I am working. I have said on my
Twitter
before, I feel the strain now, that my days are getting longer and my nights are
shorter. I don't mind the hard work," he said.

Recalling his visits to Asean countries, the prime minister was happy to
observe that the Malaysian flag was indeed, flying proudly in those countries,
which made the nation's presence felt in many countries.

"Our Malaysian workforce, as well as businesses set up by Malaysian
companies
in these countries, are a testament that Malaysia is on the right track for
progress.

"I hope that this will serve as an encouragement to Malaysians worldwide,
that the entrepreneurial spirit is strong and is something we can leverage on
and be imbued with. We look at possibilities in many places -- even far-flung,
unfamiliar places -- but there are opportunities for us," he added.

Thus, he urged Malaysians to seek opportunities wherever they were, in
both developed and developing countries.

"Our challenges will be different from those challenges faced by other
nations, but we cannot rest on our laurels because the environment has changed
significantly," he said.

Najib said currently, practically every country had adopted
market-friendly
policies compared to the 70's and early '80s, where many countries kept closed
economies and they were not prepared to reform and liberalise.

"The only aspect that has not changed is the system of governance. And
countries such as Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and others which were not in the game
previously, can embark on reforms."

He said Malaysia had no choice, either remain stagnant as a middle-income
nation or transform itself, as the world had changed.

"If we remain as a middle-income nation, other countries will leapfrog ahead
of us...this is because they are not looking at incremental changes, they are
looking at massive technological changes which will enable them to leapfrog over
other countries," he added.

Najib said Malaysia must move forward with a new set of policies that made
the country globally competitive to achieve the Vision 2020 and become a
developed nation.

"This is why, we should not rest on our laurels. We should not think that
the same set of policies that worked for us in the '70s and '80s, will continue
to do so, if the environment has changed," he said.

He said the fruits of success as an economic nation must be shared by all
Malaysians and cannot be just an elite group that enjoyed the benefits.

"So, inclusiveness is important and no one should be marginalised. Hence, we
introduced 1Malaysia which is about being together, about sharing the success of
Malaysia, that everyone should benefit from the economic success of Malaysia and
that it is a fair and equitable distribution," said Najib.

-- BERNAMA