1MALAYSIA CONCEPT STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT FOR NATION,SAYS PM

MUAR (Malaysia), Aug 3 (Bernama) -- Najib Tun Razak said the 1Malaysia
concept needed to be seen as strategically important for the nation especially
in expanding relations with new world economic centres like China and India.

According to the Prime Minister, the 1Malaysia concept could be looked at
from various dimensions, among them national unity and the nation's strategic
interests.

"Through the 1Malaysia concpet, foreign countries can see Malaysia as one
which is multi-ethnic. They can identify with Malaysia's pluraty through
1Malaysia," he said here Sunday.

Najib said besides China and India and countries in the Middle East and
Southeast Asia would also emerge as new economic powers in the world in the
short and medium term.

He said although the world was facing an economic crisis now, China was
able to record a high growth rate of 7.6 per cent and that the same was
happening in India.

Middle East countries, he said, had excess capital now which could be
invested in Malaysia while Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia were of very
high economic importance to the country.

The Prime Minister said, because of the global economic meltdown, the United
States (US) could no longer be able to be a big consumer market like before and
the situation was compounded by problems in its financial systems.

"Though this is the case, we must still continue economic relations with the
US and Europe, but we should not be over reliant on them," he said.

Najib also said on Aug 3, he would be announcing the names of those
appointed
to the board of EKUINAS (Ekuiti Nasional), an investment body set up by the
government to help bumiputeras (son of soil) expand equity ownership.

-- BERNAMA