Najib showcases “moderate Muslim” image as Malaysia vies for a seat on UN Security Council

Najib is interviewed by CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria at the Council of Foreign Relations during United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 26, 2013. – Reuters pic, September 28, 2013.

In a United Nations General Assembly week spiked with breakthroughs in talks on Syria and Iran, Malaysia’s bid for a coveted UN Security Council seat was previewed and praised when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak spoke at a Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) event in New York.

Western and Asean diplomats who attended the discussion about "moderate Muslims" and the Global Movement of Moderates, led by CNN host and foreign policy expert Fareed Zakaria, applauded Najib for his “rational arguments defending the voices of moderates” at a time of deepening religious divisions and conflict around the world.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, agreed that Najib previewed what they described as a “strong case, a substantial downpayment” for Malaysia’s bid to join the UN’s top decision-making body that has a mandate to enforce global peace and security.

The prime minister argued for “dialogue over confrontation, negotiation over conflict”, in a year when permanent members of the Council such as the United States and France have been grappling with suitable responses to the violence in Egypt and Syria.

While the Security Council has five permanent members – a legacy of the post-1945 world – and retain veto power over resolutions for action by UN member states, the other 10 rotating member-states still play a key role in debating and deciding its binding resolutions that include peacekeeping operations (often dubbed the ‘blue helmets’ brigade), authorising military action and establishing sanctions (as is currently imposed on Iran).

Najib: Malaysians' expectations, demand have increased

KUALA LUMPUR: People's expectations and demand of the government have increased, and this should be well understood to ensure Barisan Nasional's victory in the next general election, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

Najib, who is Barisan chairman, said having realised this, the government was determined to do things differently and work as hard as possible.

"We need to realise that people are not going to give their votes to you based on how much you've done in the past.
"But people would say, 'what can you do right now and for the future'," he told a CNN televised session entitled 'An Insight, An Idea with Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak' at the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

Najib noted that nobody could deny the fact that Umno and BN had pursued an agenda for development after fighting for the country's independence.

On Barisan's failure to win a two-thirds majority in the 2008 general election, Najib explained one of the factors was that people had become more critical in tandem with advances in technology and communication, as well as the use of social media.

At the end of the interview, the prime minister was queried about his plans if given the mandate to rule by voters in the country's 13th general election.

He responded by saying that the government had stated publicly that it wanted to see Malaysia become a fully developed nation by 2020.

"And I'm committed to do everything and anything possible to make it happen and if I get my second term, that's exactly what I'll do."

(Source: The Star Online)

Najib: Militant threat in Southeast Asia declining

Fareed poses a question to Najib during the interview

 

KUALA LUMPUR: The threat of Islamic militants in Southeast Asia has receded quite substantially due the efforts from other nations in the region, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

He said the cooperation between Malaysia and the other countries, including Indonesia and the Philippines, had helped to tackle Al-Qaeda-linked groups.

"I think most of them (the countries) are behind us. I think we've dealt with radical Islam," he told a CNN televised session entitled 'An Insight, An Idea with Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak' at the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

In the 30-minute interview which was anchored by Fareed Zakaria, the Prime Minister also pointed out Malaysia's involvement in hosting peace talks between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and its deployment of troops to head an international truce-monitoring force in the region.