We want to ensure Malaysians don't live in fear, says PM

The proposed amendments to the Prevention of Crime Act (PCA) is to ensure Malaysians will not live in fear of crime happening in their own backyard, says Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He rejected claims that the PCA is the Government’s move to revive the Internal Security Act (ISA), saying that the proposed amendments were dedicated to fighting organised crime.

“If the Government does not take serious action, more people will bec­ome victims and they will live in fear.

“I want to create an atmosphere where each Malaysian will feel safe in their own country, and this can be done through a serious commitment from the Government and giving priority to the security of a country,” Najib told the Malaysian media at the end of a working visit to San Francisco and New York.

He said the PCA was different from the ISA, which vested huge powers in the Home Minister and police to make arrests without going through a court process.

“But this time (under the amended PCA), the decision will be made by a judge. So, if the police were to arrest anyone, they have to convince the judge that the particular individual should be detained.

“And we will make sure that no one will be victimised,” he said, adding that a person would not be arrested merely for subscribing to any political ideology.

The proposed amendments to the PCA would enable the authorities to detain hardcore criminals for up to two years without trial.

This particular section of the PCA has incurred the wrath of Opposition politicians and some civil societies.

They claimed that the PCA was another form of the ISA. Asked to comment on the objections, Najib said: “It doesn’t mean that we have to consult all stakeholders, but they are free to give us their views.”

(Source: http://www.thestar.com.my)

Malaysians at Google happy with work environment

Happy faces: Najib sharing a light moment with Malaysians working for Google when he visited the headquarters in Menlo Park, California. — Bernama

FOR Ajay Gopinathan, Google Inc is the place he wants to be as he gets to play with cool technology every time he goes to work.

The 35-year-old software engineer from Shah Alam said working at the search engine company had always been his first choice.

“I really like it here. It is a good place to work at and I really like what I have been doing in the last two years,” he said in an interview at Google’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California.

Ajay is one of seven Malaysian Googlers who had the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak during his visit on Tuesday.

Ajay was doing his PhD in computer science in Canada when he applied for a job with Google, which was followed by a telephone interview.

“Then they flew me to California for six rounds of interviews and a week later, I was offered a job.”

Norzaini Mohd Suhaimi, 52, said that although she was older than some of her colleagues, age was never a problem.

“I don’t feel the age gap. Nobody frowns upon you if you are older or in different shapes or sizes,” she said.

Norzaini, who hails from Kota Baru, had worked as an interior designer and in event management when she came across a job offer with the Google map section.

“I have been living in California with my husband and two children in the last 30 years.

“When I saw the job opening, I decided to apply.”

Najib asks Msians to redouble efforts for wider access to financial literacy

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has asked Malaysians to redouble efforts for a much wider access to financing and greater financial literacy.

He said while Malaysia had achieved significant progress in terms of access to credit and financial literacy, there was still much more to be done.

 

"Our vision is to equip all Malaysians with an essential understanding of sound financial management, provide them with the means and the opportunity to improve their financial position and assure them of the right to fair treatment as financial consumers," he said when closing the Global Policy Forum (GPS) today.

 

In realising this vision, Najib said responsibility must be shared with the government through appropriate education and development responsibility, regulators via a facilitative regulatory framework and strong consumer protection standards, financial industry, through responsible innovation and financial practices and individual consumers through the appropriate exercise of choice and prudent financial management.

 

Meanwhile, the three-days GPS concluded with the declaration of the Sasana Accord, further strengthening the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) network's commitment to the Maya Declaration, taking it to the next level through the adoption of systematic assessment of impact to ensure quantifiable and measureable targets for financial inclusion. 

 

(Source: http://www.nst.com.my)

Najib hopes M’sians in Egypt look after their safety

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak hopes Malaysians in Egypt look after their safety, and not get involved in the country’s current bloody conflict.

The prime minister also expressed gratitude that Malaysians in that country were safe although hundreds of Egyptians were killed, so far.

“I am pleased with the well-being of Malaysians. Contact our embassy in Cairo to keep tabs on the current development,” he said in his Facebook yesterday.

Egypt is caught in a bloody conflict after a crackdown by security forces on protesting supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, resulting in hundreds killed and thousands injured.

Meanwhile, in a tweet, Najib said he would open the Kedah Urban Transformation Centre this afternoon, to facilitate the people to carry out transactions with the government.

The prime minister is in Kedah yesterday, for a one-day visit.

In an earlier tweet, Najib said the government wanted to see the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) contribute 40 per cent of Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) to pave the way for a high-income nation.

He said this on his Twitter account when commenting on a news report that the SMEs target could be achieved by 2015.

Currently, SME contribution to the GDP stands at 33 per cent.

Finance Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah said SMEs would need to contribute more to the economic growth of the country to become a high-income nation. — Bernama

(Source: The Borneo Post)

Najib calls on Malaysians to continue to plant the seeds of unity

(Source: The Star Online)

Najib calls on Malaysians to continue to plant the seeds of unity

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has urged Malaysians to always appreciate and preserve the peace and prosperity the country is enjoying and discard prejudices against each other to ensure continued stability.

The Prime Minister said it was vital to realise that it was not easy to build and maintain a stable nation as what Malaysia is today.

He said in the context of Islam, national unity could not be achieved if there was no unity among Muslims, adding that constant polemics would be detrimental to all parties.

In his Hari Raya message, Najib noted that the people could celebrate the occasion in peace, free from wars, conflicts or natural disasters that besieged certain countries.

“So, on such special occasions as this, for the sake of our beloved country, let us foster and continue to plant the seeds of unity.”

PM: People need to be inclusive in attitude

SELANGAU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday urged all Malaysians to choose inclusiveness and not exclusiveness in the spirit of togetherness under the 1Malaysia ambit.

He said through such an approach, the country would remain strong, enabling the Barisan Nasional (BN) to form a functional government with the mandate given by the people in the recent 13th general election.

“If we are inclusive, whether we are the biggest ethnic group or the minority or smallest, and whether we live in the rural areas or interior, we will feel the spirit of togetherness.

“We must feel that the government we have today is the government for all of us and which will continue to struggle for our lot, while we will also get fair and just considerations under the BN government.”

Najib said this in his speech at a Ngabang Gawai at the Jangit longhouse in Tamin, about 60km from Sibu.

Najib calls on Malaysians to lead healthy lifestyles

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has called upon the public to lead healthy lifestyles in conjunction with World Health Day.

With one in three Malaysian adults diagnosed with high blood pressure, the prime minister said it is imperative that the people start practising healthy alternatives.

"One in three Malaysian adults have high blood pressure. Let us reflect on our lifestyles this World Health Day and start practicing healthy alternatives," he said in his latest tweet.

Statistic showed that the average salt consumption by Malaysian last year was 1.7 times higher than the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommendation.

The study concluded that about 32.7 per cent or one in three Malaysians aged 18 years and above are believed to have high blood pressure.

World Health Day is celebrated on April 7, marking the 65th anniversary of the founding of WHO, with the emphasis on the scourge of high blood pressure.

(Source: The Star Online)