#Bajet2014: Your Idea is Valuable

I will soon be tabling the next National Budget in my capacity of Finance Minister. As a government elected by the people, I believe everyone deserves a say on how we as a nation will progress next year.

It gives me great pride to see that the rakyat share our vision of seeing Malaysia succeed on the world stage. 

Their commitment shows from the encouraging response we always receive before we table each year’s budget. This was most evident last year when we sorted through over 2,500 comments and suggestions taken from various social media platforms, the best of which were successfully incorporated into the 2013 Budget.

With the current state of the world economy, it has become even more important for us to come up with an ambitious yet sensible budget that sets the right pace and direction of our country’s growth. This is a daunting task but I fully believe that we can achieve the best results by working together as a nation.

On the 26th of August, we will be providing a platform for the rakyat to come together and share their views on the 2014 Budget. The discussions will focus on several topics including cost of living, housing and urban living, healthcare, public safety and other issues close to the hearts of the people. We will continue collecting your input until the 8th of September, after which they will be sent to the Finance Ministry for consideration.

To achieve our goal of becoming a high-income nation, we need everyone to play their part. I am looking forward to seeing your ideas

(Source: http://www.1malaysia.com.my)

Perutusan Perdana Menteri Sempena Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2013

Terima Kasih/Thank You

Kita baru sahaja menempuh satu proses demokrasi yang terbesar dan paling mencabar di negara kita. Di setiap kampung, pekan dan bandar, setiap rakyat telah berdebat, berkempen dan mengundi untuk masa hadapan negara. Saya amat berterima kasih dengan segala usaha yang telah dilakukan oleh semua pihak yang selama ini telah berusaha gigih dan berdiri teguh di samping saya dan parti. Dengan penuh tawaduk saya juga mengucapkan terima kasih kepada para pengundi yang telah memberikan kepercayaan kepada kepimpinan Barisan Nasional untuk terus mentadbir negara.

Saya telah berkhidmat sebagai penjawat awam hampir sepanjang pengalaman kerjaya saya selama ini. Saya masih ingat lagi kali pertama saya dipilih menjadi Ahli Parlimen, kali pertama saya berucap di Parlimen dan kali pertama saya menjalankan tanggungjawab sebagai ketua jabatan kerajaan. Sepanjang empat tahun yang lalu saya telah diberi peluang pula untuk berkhidmat untuk negara ini di peringkat tertinggi sebagai Perdana Menteri.

Namun pencapaian paling bererti tercatat pada awal pagi Isnin lalu adalah apabila saya diberi mandat oleh rakyat untuk menyempurnakan segala perancangan dan perlaksanaan yang telah saya mulakan sejak empat tahun yang lalu.

Letter To The Nation

My dear fellow Malaysian,

I know you must be tired. Tired of all the politicking that has been taking place in our country. So at the outset, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, for bearing with us and for putting up with the constant messaging and appeals that have come your way.

Our country is at a crossroad – you and 13 million other Malaysians will soon decide which path our beloved nation will be taking in the next five years. It has been a challenging four years for us, and now you and I must decide what we would like the next five years to be.

As the ruling party, we have not had the liberty to be full time politicians. Amidst all the political clamouring, the BN Government has had to continue running the Government and ensuring continued development of Malaysia and her people.

It has been an uphill battle to say the least. But I am happy and proud to say that we have kept to our path of development and transformation. Your support is paramount if we are to keep to our path of development, if we are to continue our journey towards complete transformation.

This election is about fulfilling promises, bringing hope and upholding trustworthiness. It should not be about empty promises, spreading lies and instigating hatred. I appeal to you to watch, listen and think carefully, before deciding on the future of the country.

We must always bear in mind that at the end of the day, what we decide and who we support, will determine the future of our beloved Malaysia. The victor or loser of this 13th General Election will not be BN or PR. It will be Malaysia, its people and our children.

Your vote should be a vote for Malaysia – a Malaysia that is developed and progressive. A Malaysia that is moving towards political, economic and social transformation. A Malaysia where every single one of us will be truly proud to live the concept of 1Malaysia.

Yours sincerely,

Najib Razak

Chairman Barisan Nasional

(Source: http://www.1malaysia.com.my )

Workers are the Catalyst for National Transformation

Today is International Labour Day, which falls on May 1st every year. We are thankful today for our country’s low unemployment rate of only 3.3 per cent in January 2013. This is a much lower rate if compared to several advanced countries such as Spain (26.2%), the Eurozone (12%), France (10.7%), United States (7.9%) and Australia (5.4%).

We are also grateful that our cost of living is under control as reflected in the increased figures of the inflation indicator for January of 1.3 percent, grateful with the improvement of our living standards as reflected in the relative poverty rate which have declined to 1.7 per cent and in increase in per-capita income to USD$9,700 in 2012.

Nevertheless, the Government is conscious of the need to double up on efforts to improve the skills of our workforce. In creating a more skilled workforce, we have provided RM3.7 billion in the 2013 Budget in order to train students in technical and vocational fields. This in line with the Government’s mission of making Malaysia a high-income nation by 2020.

In addition to that, we have also improved and amended the Social Security Act 1969 to raise the eligibility age for the Invalidity Pension Scheme in order for it to be consistent with the Minimum Retirement Age Act of 2012.

Dasar Transformasi Negara Berjaya

Sejak mula dilantik menjadi Perdana Menteri pada 2009, saya bertekad untuk meneruskan perjuangan pemimpin-pemimpin sebelum ini yang sentiasa komited untuk memastikan Malaysia terus cemerlang hari demi hari. Sebab itulah, saya telah perkenalkan gagasan 1Malaysia yang mengamalkan prinsip Rakyat Didahulukan, Pencapaian Diutamakan.

Untuk memastikan setiap apa yang dilakukan oleh Kerajaan membuahkan hasil dan dapat memberi manfaat kepada rakyat, saya telah perkenalkan Program Transformasi Kerajaan (GTP) dan Program Transformasi Ekonomi (ETP). 

Kedua-dua program ini diperkenalkan pada 2010 serta 2011 dan ia diwujudkan bersama-sama Program Transformasi Politik dan Program Transformasi Sosial yang membentuk Dasar Transformasi Nasional. Kesemua insiatif tersebut diperkenalkan bertujuan bagi memastikan negara mencapai matlamat menjadi sebuah negara berpendapatan tinggi menjelang 2020.

Engagement

I have said many times before that the era of “government knows best” is over, but I think it’s worth repeating. Ultimately, it is the rakyat who know best what they want and need, which is why I want to connect as much as possible with all of you – listening to your ideas, taking on board your views and acting on your opinions. It is an obvious point perhaps but democracy is not just about elections, it is about addressing the needs of the people in between elections – and that means getting unfiltered, first-hand information through meetings, visits and social media about the things you really care about.

I have been humbled by the support shown by the rakyat during my travels around the country - whether to Batu Caves and Brickfields, to Chinatown, or to the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak. I have tried hard to translate your insights and opinions into programmes and policies that help to pave the way for a prosperous, harmonious and truly equitable Malaysia – and I will continue to value your input in achieving this worthy goal.

 

(Source: http://www.1malaysia.com.my)

Economic Progress

(Source: http://www.1malaysia.com.my)

New look for Najib's website

KUALA LUMPUR (Mar 1, 2013): The personal website of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, which can be accessed via www.1malaysia.com.my , has a new look and among others included the columns on 'My Record' and 'Action'.

The column 'My Record' features the segment on Economic Progress, 1Malaysia Initiative, Political Transformation, Global Involvement and Leadership. In the Involvement segment, Najib said he had on numerous occasions stated that the era of 'Government Knows All' had ended.

"The fact is that the people know better what they want and need and thus, I always want to communicate with you as often as possible to get ideas, consider all the views and implement them.

"Democracy is not merely about elections, it is about fulfilling the aspirations of the people," said the Prime Minister.

Najib said he was humbled by the undivided support given by the people each time he made a visit throughout the country -- regardless from Batu Caves to Brickfields, Chinatown right up to the interor of Sabah and Sarawak.

"I always work hard to ensure that all your opinions on national prosperity and peace can be implemented, and I will continue to consider each suggestion so that you can be together in developing the country," he said.

Social media has opened up government and politics

The internet is driving change in every part of our lives. It is a giant, ever-changing repository of information that anyone with a connection can access, enabling instant communication between individuals and groups across nations and continents. And it is unleashing creativity and collaboration in ways that have never before been possible.

Keeping on top of these trends is hugely important, so I was delighted to speak to the World Bloggers and Social Media Summit in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. I also had the opportunity to speak with Rina Azmira, my one millionth Facebook follower and her parents, as well as unveil my new Instagram account, which you can follow here.

I may be biased but I truly believe Malaysia is a perfect place for conferences like this. The combination of a solid tech infrastructure with our naturally sociable personalities has put us amongst the most avid users of social media. 

A recent study even found that Malaysia, along with Brazil, has the highest Twitter penetration in the world.

With social media, everyone can be a publisher of content no matter how technically minded or wealthy they are. It is naturally very open and collaborative by nature, and people – especially ‘digital natives’ who have grown up with the internet – now have higher expectations for openness in all spheres of life.