Malaysia gearing up for all national, international challenges

Dr Mahathir delivering his speech (Bernama)

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia’s Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad pledged his government would continue to engage the young people and instill in them the spirit of volunteerism, entrepreneurship and good values so that they would be more productive and competitive in the face of the fourth Industrial Revolution.

He also stressed that the government had drawn up various strategies at both national and international levels in its bid to overcome all the economic uncertainty and the increasingly challenging global geopolitical system, including the many barriers to free trade, as well as global currency instability, which could affect the country.

In a congratulatory speech at the investiture ceremony of federal awards and honours in conjunction with the official birthday of Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, he emphasized the significance of strengthening Malaysia’s administration based on the Rule of Law principle and separation of powers as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

“I hope the country will be fully liberated from all forms of corruption so that a New Malaysia can be further developed, more than ever before,” he said, quoted by the national news agency BERNAMA.

The government efforts to rehabilitate the country’s financial position and economic performance, as well as to fulfil its promises to the people, had begun to bear fruit, were also stressed by Dr Mahathir.

He said various initiatives under the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 had already been implemented to ensure that the nation’s wealth could be distributed more broadly to stimulate economic growth and increase the people’s income.

The government will, in pursuit of the modernization drive, continue to ensure that the environment is protected and not neglected, he said.

“Those responsible for environmental pollution will definitely face stern action and to prevent such incidents from recurring, all quarters have been called upon to play a better role in protecting the environment,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said the government would always respect and defend the sovereignty of the institution of constitutional monarchy, the position of Islam as federal religion, special privileges of the Malays and Bumiputeras in Sabah and Sarawak, as well as the rights of other races as stated in the Federal Constitution.

The 62nd National Day celebration on August 31 had brought the unity and solidarity of the multi-racial people in the country into prominence, he said, adding that Malaysians can come together and share a common value in a very harmonious way regardless of their race, background and beliefs.

“This is also a manifestation of Malaysian unity which will be preserved and further strengthened. Needless to say that all development programs and projects can only be successfully implemented if the country is peaceful and well organized,” he said, quoted by the news agency.

“The people are more mature now in facing threats to unity. The government, however, will continue strengthening national unity and discharging its duties to preserve racial harmony.”