Don’t throw 50 years of hard work away, says Najib

PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday called upon the people not to throw 50 years of hard work and dedication away by voting in the Opposition.He said the Opposition, made up of three different parties with conflicting views, was unable to even decide who among them would lead the coalition if they came to power.

“The Barisan Nasional presents you with a proven track record, while the Opposition comes to you with nothing,” he said in the “Conversation with the Prime Minister” programme aired over TV3 last night."We began our transformation programme in 2009 to bring the nation to greater heights and we can now see and feel the results of this agenda. "We have more to do and we appeal to the rakyat to give us the mandate to complete this.”

Najib Razak, who is also the finance minister, said Malaysia’s economy had become strong and was on track and had been able to buck the external global economic trend.In the last quarter, Malaysia achieved a 6.4 per cent growth, indicating the resilience of the national economy.

“I can quote you the statistics that indicate the strong resilience of our national economy,” he said.“When we talk about benefits to the people from 2009 to 2011, our Gross National Income (GNI) per capita has grown from US$6,670 to US$9,970, roughly about 49 per cent.

“There is no country in the world that has achieved this kind of result.” On the BR1M, Najib dismissed allegations that it was an election gimmick and said it was part and parcel of the BarisanNasional’s economic strategy to assist the people.Najib Razak said the government had been giving plenty of indirect subsidies to the people, especially in the form of fuel subsidies, which was open to abuse. "However, with BR1M, we are targetting only a selected group who need this help,” he said.

"We have to date spent RM3 billion on BR1M, but on fuel subsidies, we spend about RM30 billion annually.”He said BR1M had also helped the local economy get stronger by giving the people a little more spending power.

Asked when the next general election would likely be held, Najib Razak said it would be held within the ambit of the the Federal Constitution.

Malaysia’s economy to grow 4.5% to 5.5% in 2013, says Ahmad Husni

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government is confident the economy can grow between 4.5% and 5.5% this year, with the positive results emerging from the time-tested economic and fiscal policies.

Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said the Government Transformation Programme and the Economic Transformation Plan had yielded encouraging gross domestic product growth.
This has been proven based on the fourth quarter economic performance last year, with the national economy growing at 6.4%, contributing 5.6% in annual growth, he said.
Describing the growth as an “impressive feat” considering the prevailing weak world economy, Ahmad Husni said Malaysia was “buffered” to the highest possible extent from the “toxic effects” of the global economic and financial crises.

“The end-result of our tireless efforts restored investors’ confidence in the future prospects of our economy…enough for them to invest RM135.9bil in 2012 alone,” he told reporters at the Asian Corporate Giants’ Forum.

So far this year, the minister said he was cautiously optimistic because of the “lingering uncertainties” from the protracted economic and financial crises.
“However, if the current situation persists, the country should be able to register a higher growth, with its strength being the domestic economy, in particular domestic investments,” he said.
Ahmad Husni said Malaysia has managed to woo substantial private investments with the launch of the economic transformation programme.

On the supply side, all sectors are also contributing positively to the national economic growth, he added. – Bernama