KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia has grown much since its humble beginnings 54 years ago, from a less-known agriculture nation, to a successful country recognised by many world leaders.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said this during the Malaysia Day celebration here tonight. He added that the recognition was evident with the reception he had received from world leaders, including the United States President Donald Trump.
“They see Malaysia as a successful country, not one that begs or kneels, but one that is truly sovereign.
“And Trump invited me to extend my stay but I told him I could not as I need to attend the Malaysia Day celebration tonight,” he said to a rousing applause at the Likas Sports Complex, the venue for the celebration.
At the same time he brushed off claims by the opposition who had said the purchase of Boeing aircrafts will on benefit the US.
The prime minister stressed that these new aircrafts will actually benefit the country’s airline, Malaysia Airlines, to be even more competitive and on par with other airlines.
“MAS must adapt (and to do so, they need to) have the most efficient planes in the world, we cannot be left behind when other airlines in the world have Dreamliners.
“We want to be in the front line so we can bring more tourists to Malaysia, to Sabah as this state is beautiful and has a lot of potential,” he added.
He also shot down opposition queries as to why the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) will be investing in the US and not within the country.
Najib pointed out that EPF has a RM760 billion fund and it is not logical to invest it all in one place, Malaysia. He said that there is a need to diversify and thus, EPF’s decision to invest in various countries.
He added that the decision was not made by politicians but the investment committee, further stating that EPF’s wide portfolio has enabled its members to receive good dividends.
On the local front, he said the Federal government will continue to respect rights of Sabah and has established special committees to study Sabah and Sarawak rights under Malaysia Agreement 1963.
“We will discuss as siblings in a family. The rights of Sabah will continue to be respected by the government.
“So there is no need for slogans like ‘Sabah for Sabah’ and ‘Sarawak for Sarawak’. We want Sabah for Malaysia and Malaysia for Sabah and we will continue moving forward together.
“And the decision will be made soon to give the rights of Sabah folks,” he said without elaborating further.
Najib said the government is committed to close development gap between Sabah and the Peninsular to bring progress to the state.
He also said special attention will be given to approving more allocations to implement more basic facilities in rural Sabah and Sarawak.
“The government has also given special allocation of RM4.14 billion in the electricity sector to Sabah and Labuan from 2012 to 2016.
“This year alone subsidy given by government via Petronas is RM390 million to assist with the reduction of the electricity tariff here.
“So we will continue to strengthen Sabah. There is no need for the opposition to mislead the people. Sabah has prospered under leadership of Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman, and I also want to congratulate him for his recent ‘Tan Sri’ title,” added Najib.