Ignore naysayers, PM Najib tells diplomats and industry leaders

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has reminded leaders from the corporate sector and representatives from embassies not to listen to naysayers who "run down their own country" on economic matters.

At the groundbreaking ceremony of the Malaysia Exposition and Convention Centre (MyExpo) – part of the first phase of the diplomatic enclave in Putrajaya – Najib said his administration had created 2.26 million new jobs in the past seven years.

"Gross National Income has increased by nearly 50 percent. We have kept inflation and unemployment low and maintained healthy growth even at a time of uncertainty for the global economy," said Najib in his address.

To drive home his point, Najib reiterated again that a recent Bloomberg report had described Malaysia and Hong Kong as the biggest growth surprises in Asia.

He also cited the Asian Development Bank's revision of its growth forecast for Malaysia from 4.7 to 5.4 percent.

"So don't listen to the naysayers who keep running down their own country for their own political ends.

"The evidence is clear. We are on the right trajectory and this is shown by the fact that third-party validators (such as) the World Bank, IMF (International Monetary Fund) Fitch (Ratings), Moody's, (and) all the others, have come to the conclusion that the Malaysian economy is 'progressing from a position of strength' and this is a direct quote from the World Bank," he added.

Goal: Be among Top 20

He said that it was from this "position of strength" which allowed his administration to launch the National Transformation 2050 (TN50) agenda.

"In due course, we will lay out a blueprint for how we can set about making Malaysia one of the top 20 countries in the world in terms of economic development, citizens' well-being and innovation by the middle of this century.

"If that sounds ambitious, ladies and gentlemen, well, yes, it is. But I make no apologies for that and it is certainly not unrealistic."

On claims by critics that Malaysia was in danger of going bankrupt, Najib said PricewaterhouseCooper's "World in 2050" report predicted that Malaysia's GDP will be the 24th highest in the world in terms of purchasing power parity.

"That is their prediction, and accounting firms such as PwC tend to be cautious when they look to the future.

"With the efforts of Malaysia's government and its hardworking people, I am confident we will be able to push our placing even higher," he added.

Najib, on Sunday, had cited the PwC report, among others and pointed out that the validations were evidence that Malaysia was not a bankrupt state as claimed by the opposition.

"The opposition lie and they confuse us, they want to sow the seeds of hate and they are not being constructive," he had said.

Upon completion in 2020, MyExpo is set to be the largest exhibition centre in Malaysia. Combined with the existing Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), it will be the largest meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE) venue in Southeast Asia.

The convention centre will have a total gross floor area of 1.5 million square feet, while MyExpo City will cover four million square feet, including parks and both a four- and a five-star hotel. - Mkini