KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has congratulated Donald Trump on being elected as the 45th United States (US) President.
Najib, in a statement today, said the world had watched this year’s US presidential election with fascination.
“At almost every turn, media commentators have been proven wrong and the results anticipated by experts have been overturned,” he said.
He adds that Trump was considered a distant outsider when his candidacy was first announced. Najib said Trump beat the establishment consensus by winning the Republican nomination, and did so again with his remarkable victory today.
“Mr Trump’s success shows that politicians should never take voters for granted. Opinion polls, and established political figures, all underestimated the strength of his support.”
Najib said the president-elect’s appeal to Americans who have been left behind – those who want to see their government more focused on their interests and welfare, and less embroiled in foreign interventions that proved to be against US interests and had won Trump the White House.
The prime minister said that in 2014, the US and Malaysia had elevated their relationship to a comprehensive partnership, and are firm allies in the worldwide fight against terrorism and extremism.
“We look forward to continuing this partnership under President-elect Trump.
“I congratulate him on this extraordinary victory, and look forward to meeting him again soon,” said Najib.
Trump, the Republican mogul, defeated his Democratic rival Hilary Clinton in tight race.
The triumph for Trump, 70, a real estate developer-turned-reality television star with no government experience, saw him pass the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the US presidency.