‘Najib leads country from strength to strength’
We would like to refer to your editorial, “Malaysian politics are in a dangerous slide”, published on April 9.
It paints a rather misleading picture of Malaysia’s premier, leading readers to believe that the Prime Minister Najib Razak will lead the country to ruins if he does not resign.
First of all, the allegations against PM Najib are motivated by domestic politics, and have been exploited and politicised by those with ulterior motives.
Najib leads a government that has been given a mandate by the Malaysian people through full, democratic processes.
Secondly, under Najib’s leadership, Malaysia has continued to go from strength to strength:
One: Our leadership internationally, as a stable and tolerant country, as a responsible actor on the global stage and a key partner in the fight against terrorism, speaks for itself.
Two: Despite challenging global economic headwinds, the World Bank has commended Malaysia for keeping our macroeconomic policies strong. For 2016, we expect our economy to expand between 4 and 5 per cent, driven by private investment and consumption.
Three: Gross national income had increased by nearly 50 per cent between 2009 and 2015, while 1.8 million new jobs had been created.
Four: Exports and imports increased by 6.7 per cent and 1.6 per cent in February 2016 compared to the previous month, with the trade surplus widening from 5.4 billion ringgit (Bt48.5 billion) to 7.5 billion ringgit over the same period;
Five: The Malaysian currency ringgit is Asia’s best performing currency this year to date.
This may surprise the critics, who said that if Najib continued to remain in office, the ringgit would fall to 4.80 against the dollar. In reality, the ringgit today is valued at 3.88 against the dollar.
Five: At a time of global financial volatility, the Malaysian government under Najib’s leadership has taken the tough but necessary decisions to protect the interests of the Malaysian people and to ensure their future. The National Transformation Programme and the 11th Malaysia Plan are keeping Malaysia on course to become a high-income status nation by 2020.
Embassy of Malaysia
Bangkok
