1MALAYSIA BASED ON REALITY INVOLVING THE PEOPLE - PM

PEKAN (Malaysia), May 23 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Razak said
Saturday the 1Malaysia concept was based on reality involving the people of
various races in the country.

He said that in reality the people of all races and religions in the country
should be united to make Malaysia a strong country.

"If we can unite the communities into one people with one dream, we can
build a stronger and more successful Malaysia," he said when opening the annual
general meeting of the east coast state of Pahang branch of the Malaysian
Government Pensioners Association, in this east coast royal town.

Najib said the 1Malaysia concept would safeguard the Federal Constitution.
"Under the 1Malaysia concept, no group big or small will be marginalised and
denied attention by the government, whether in the villages, towns or
longhouses. All will get attention from the government," he said.

On another matter, Najib reminded pensioners to keep themselves mentally
alert by reading.

"When the mind is kept fresh, the body will also be healthy and active," he
said.

Najib also said that all the demands of the association would have to be
submitted to the Public Service Department before it was discussed in the
Cabinet.

Earlier, the branch president Abdul Ghani Sulaiman, in his speech, spoke of
several demands pertaining to pensioners, including asking the government to
provide a minimum pension of RM720 even for pensioners who had served less than
25 years.

He also asked the government to give a compassionate allowance to pensioners
every time the government announced a bonus for civil servants and to provide
derivative pension to the spouse whom the pensioner marries after retirement.

He said a senator should also be appointed to handle the affairs of
pensioners.
-- BERNAMA