MALAYSIAN PM HIGHLIGHTS M'SIA’S ETP AT FOREIGN AFFAIRS THINK TANK IN NEW YORK

BY MANIK MEHTA

NEW YORK, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- Speaking at the Council on Foreign
Relations (CFR), a leading foreign affairs think tank, in New York on Tuesday,
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak highlighted Malaysia’s economic
transformation programme (ETP)and the opportunities it offered to foreign
investors.

Lightheartedly addressing the packed auditorium as a “captive audience” -
there were ripples of mild laughter amongst the attentively listening audience -
he referred to his government’s New Economic Model (NEM) which would bring about
Malaysia’s economic transformation.

Najib’s lecture with the title “The Economic Transformation Programme in
Malaysia”, took stock of the changes in the country which he said needed to
adapt itself to a global environment characterized by fierce competition with
China, India and, lately, Vietnam.

The Prime Minister spoke of the creation of a “new paradigm” for Malaysia.

“We are trying to achieve nation-building in the form of our 1Malaysia
concept which is aimed to bring all Malaysians together, irrespective of their
ethnic and religious background, so that they can move together,” he said.

He urged Malaysians living in the United States to join forces to make
Malaysia a great nation.


Najib, playing up the advantages inherent in the attributes of Malaysia’s
diverse ethnic composition, particularly the Chinese and Indian population,
observed: “We can relate to China, India, the Middle East and other places. We
can be connected to the world.”

The new policy would also help the country's Bumiputras (original
inhabitants) who he said “deserved help not because they are connected but
because they merit it”.

“This will also encourage foreign investors to come to Malaysia. Our (old)
thinking has to change, if we want to be a developed nation by 2020. We have
launched an ambitious new economic model to raise the per capita of Malaysians
from currently US$7,000 (RM22,000) to US$15,000 (RM43,000), creating some 3.3
million jobs, and have identified 135 major projects in the country,” he
disclosed.

The Prime Minister said Malaysia was going to re-energise the private sector
which would provide 92 per cent of the investments and function as an engine of
growth.

He referred to the massive infrastructure project of setting up a MRT (mass
Rapid Transport) system for Kuala Lumpur with an investment tag of US$12.5
billion (RM38.6 billion) aimed at bolstering the economy.

Such projects would contribute to future growth and facilitate
Malaysia’s transition to the goal of a developed nation by 2020, he said.

Najib said that Malaysia was interested in a bilateral free trade agreement
(FTA) with the United States - the talks had been called off during the Bush
administration after both sides failed to achieve any progress - but also
pointed out that there was a multilateral framework for negotiations between the
US and the Asean grouping.

Najib underscored the importance of the US not only because it was
Malaysia’s third biggest market, after China and Singapore, but also because “we
share the same common values and freedom”.

He pointed out that 600 US companies were present in Malaysia.

Though economic and business issues were key elements of his address - Najib
later faced a question and answer session led by Maurice R. Greenberg, chairman
and CEO of C.V. Starr and Co. Inc., who had earlier introduced the Prime
Minister - the discussions also, invariably, turned to a number issues that fell
outside the ambit of business and commerce.

Hints dropped by the Prime Minister suggested that Malaysia aspired to
become a strategic partner of the US.


“We should re-engage with the US because the forces that connect us are far
greater than those that divide us. The US and Malaysia remain good partners
because of the common values that bind us,” Najib emphasized.

Najib called for moderates in the US and Malaysia to work together to stop
extremism and violence.

He acknowledged the role of the evangelicals who were
able to stop the recent threat by an obscure US pastor to burn the Koran.

Najib aid that Islam was a peaceful and tolerant religion which prescribed
justice for all - Muslim and non-Muslims alike.

He said said that Malaysia would be sending a team of female Muslim doctors
to Afghanistan which faced a scarcity of female medical experts to treat the
female population.


There was also concern amongst American strategic thinkers over China’s
aggressive posturing in Southeast Asia.

Asked how he perceived the growing assertiveness of China in the region,
Najib said that one must come to terms with the “new China” which was more
assertive than before.

“However, we believe that China cannot destabilize the region. We have
mechanisms within Asean to resolve any differences. The Chinese are pragmatic
people. But China certainly has greater economic clout,” he said.

However, he said Malaysia also believed that the region should not be
exclusive to one power’s domination.

Najib also cleared the air about the episode concerning Malaysia’s
opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, which has been widely reported in the local
media.


“Fundamentally, it is not the Malaysian government which is against Anwar.
It is an individual, one of his own staff members, who has filed a police report
against him.”

Najib also answered questions about the forthcoming high-profile visit of
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Malaysia.

“India is a very important partner for us. We are looking at various
avenues of cooperation with India,” he told Bernama in reply to a question about
Singh’s visit.

Najib, who was in India early this year, identified a number of
areas of cooperation with the country such as in infrastructure, information
technology, machine-building and electronics.

Najib also disclosed that before leaving for the US, he had asked
the Malaysian minister concerned to finalise the negotiations with India on the
Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).

He said that India was equally
interested to have the accord ready for signature during the Indian Prime
Minister’s visit to Malaysia in October.

-- BERNAMA