PM NAJIB ASSURES LONG-TERM STABILITY IN MALAYSIA

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak
has assured the international community of a long-term stability in Malaysia and
that the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa will not impact the country.

"I think that is still very much in place. What happened in the Middle
East stays there, and it will not impact Malaysia because we have a vibrant
democracy, because we have policies that are attuned with the aspirations of the
people, because we have strong economic growth, we have jobs," he said.

Najib said the country had 2.2 million foreign workers and had policies
which took care of the lower-income group.

"We are basically addressing social concerns of the people," he said in an
interview with Bloomberg on his achievements after two years in office, which
was aired Friday.

The prime minister was asked whether the unrest in the Middle East and North
Africa could spill over into Malaysia, given that the country enjoyed five
decades of unbroken rule by the National Front (Barisan Nasional-BN) coalition.

Barisan Nasional (Malay for National Front; commonly abbreviated as BN) is a
major political coalition in Malaysia. Formed in 1973 as the successor to the
Alliance, it has been Malaysia's ruling political party since independence.

Asked whether Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial
damaged Malaysia's international reputation and hindered foreign investment, as
claimed by Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson last year, Najib said this
was a private matter.

"...because it was a complaint taken by a private individual who happened
to be his (Anwar) employee. It's not an action taken by the Malaysian
Government," he said.

He added, what was stated by Branson was not borne by the facts, because in
2009, the level of foreign direct investment was about US$1.7 billion (US$1 =
RM3.02)

"Last year, it jumped to US$7 billion. I think the figures speak for
themselves," said Najib, who is also finance minister.

On guarding against corruption as the country embarked on major investment
projects, he said, with the steps taken lately, the perception of the government
with regard to dealing with corruption was increasing in a positive manner.

"First of all, let me put on record that under the economic transformation
plan, 92 per cent of investments will come from the private sector. So, it is
actually private sector-led, not public sector-led," he said.