I.S.A. WILL NOT USED ARBITRARILY - NAJIB

PUTRAJAYA, April 8 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said
Tuesday his administration would not use the Internal Security Act (ISA)
arbitrarily but would give importance to the principles of human rights and
civil liberties.

He said the ISA was undergoing a review to ensure that it incorporated
several provisions which upheld these principles.

"Several provisions (of the ISA) will reflect our (the government's)
intention to uphold civil liberties and establish a check and balance so that
the ISA is not used arbitrarily or according to the whims of the authorities
without regard for the fundamental rights and civil liberties of the people of
Malaysia," he told a group of journalists from Indonesia at his office, here.

The journalists, who had arrived to attend the Malaysian Press Awards event
of the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) in Kuala Lumpur Monday night, were the
first group of foreign journalists to interview Najib after his elevation as the
prime minister on April 3.

Najib said his decision to release 13 ISA detainees recently was a
government gesture which gave importance to the fundamental rights and civil
liberties in a modern, mature and civilised society.

At the interview, Najib was asked, among other things, his style of
administration, Malaysia-Indonesia bilateral relations, regional security, press
freedom in Malaysia and the role of the two prime ministers before him.

Touching on the philosophy behind the "One Malaysia. People First.
Performance Now" concept which he had announced soon after becoming the prime
minister, Najib said it was "the overarching philosophy" behind the
administration he helmed.

He explained that it emphasised what should be done from now to spur the
nation towards realising the objectives and vision set by the two prime
ministers before him, i.e. to enable the people achieve "excellence, glory and
distinction" and realise "Vision 2020" to become a developed nation.

"That is our destination, but before we attain Vision 2020 I want to
emphasise what we have to do now ... what then is the process. Unity, People
First and Performance Now," he said.

The "One Malaysia" concept emphasises mutual respect and trust among all the
ethnic groups in the country, which Najib describes as the pillar for the
process of national solidarity.

Najib said the effort must be carried out with the full awareness of the
government and the people in all the programmes implemented.

"This concept must be translated into action, government programmes ... for
example, the allocations for Chinese and Tamil schools be given directly to the
school boards.

"No ethnic group should feel marginalised in terms of government policies
and programmes," he said.

He said the Bumiputeras should also be given assistance because they still
lagged behind ... but the effort should be carried out fairly, both for the
Bumiputeras (son of soil) and the non-Bumiputeras.

On "People First", Najib said the government he led would ensure that it was
sensitive and close to the people, that it was not an elite government seen as
pro large corporations and practised cronyism or nepotism.

It is for this reason that I went on a walkabout (last Saturday) in Malay,
Chinese and Indian areas. I wanted to show that leaders must be close to the
people. I do not feel awkward when meeting with the people," he said.

Najib also said that his style of administration would emphasise the
"Performance Now" aspect so that the people could see that anything planned was
actually implemented.

"I will emphasise that all action be expedited because the people want to
see it happen.

"Everything has to be done quickly ... speedily, and they must be seen to
happen by the people. I emphasise the outcome, not just the output. There is a
fine distinction between output and outcome.

"This will be the style of my new administration. We will give priority to
performance-based leadership," he said.

Najib also said that he wanted to be the prime minister for all of the
people and he would be fair, that he would not want to be seen as a prime
minister who favoured any ethnic group.

Touching on the question of freedom in a democratic system, Najib said
Malaysia was liberal but practised freedom with responsibility or there would be
anarchy.

Asked about press freedom, Najib, who was the guest-of-honour at the
Malaysian Press Awards event, said he wanted the media to play the role of being
a critic of the government in a responsible manner so that leaders would not be
arrogant and abuse their power.

"If government leaders cannot be criticised at all, we will feel that we
are invincible. The feeling of invincibility is something not good because we
may abuse our power or we may be arrogant in terms of our position," he said.

Najib said he hoped to be able to establish good cooperation with the media
so that there was mutual understanding on their respective roles.
"The Press must be responsible. It must not carry out unfounded personal
attacks and make use of rumours as content as though that is the truth. A
responsible press must be an important component of a healthy democratic
practice," he said.

On Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Najib said he was
convinced that the two former prime ministers would provide strong support to
him as the new prime minister.

Saying that he had a good relationship with both of them, Najib said he
hoped that the two statesmen would be able to use their respective strengths to
help consolidate Umno and the National Front (Barisan Nasional - BN).

"I will make an attempt. It is not easy ... (but) I have a specialty. I have
a good and close relationship with both of them. I believe it is important for
former prime ministers to support the current prime minister in carrying on with
the cause," he said.

The journalists, from the Jakarta Post, Kompas, Sinar Harapan, Republika,
Media Indonesia, Antara news agency, Gatra magazine and RCTI television station,
later took the opportunity to pose with Najib for photographs and obtained his
autograph on a book about the prime minister.

-- BERNAMA