'Paint true picture of Malaysia'

CLEAR THE AIR: Najib urges Malaysians overseas to dispel baseless and negative reports about country

LONDON: DATUK Seri Najib Razak has appealed to Malaysians living and studying here to help dispel untrue reports about Malaysia and help put it in good light.

Speaking at a dinner he hosted at the Intercontinental hotel, Park Lane, for about 500 Malaysians last night, the prime minister said by giving the true picture, more people would have confidence in the country and this would attract more investments to Malaysia.

"I am sure you have come across on various occasions where people have commented negatively about Malaysia. It is your task as a Malaysian to put Malaysia back in good light."

Najib was accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor. Present was Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.

"I hope Malaysians will always look at their home country and see what they can do to contribute to the socio-economic growth in the country. Share with us, share with your friends, so that we can come together and work together to fix things that are wrong in Malaysia and further improve what is already the best in our country."

"Your honest remarks shall put them into perspective on a how the country is doing.

"Nothing beats good press than the 70,000 Malaysians residing in the United Kingdom, saying good things about Malaysia."

Earlier, Najib outlined his visit to London, sharing with guests the excitement generated by the purchase of the Battersea Power Station, an iconic and unique building in Britain. The purchase by a Malaysian consortium had made headlines.

"It is indeed heartening to see Malaysian companies and corporations making headlines abroad. This proves that the country we call home is progressing and developing well. The steady economic growth has spurred companies to venture out and make Malaysia proud."

He also said bilateral relations between the two countries needed to be rejuvenated and taken to a new level.

Bernama reported Najib as saying that Malaysia was set to become a high-income developed nation as early as 2018, two years earlier than the targeted 2020.

Malaysia was on the right track to realise this target since the Government Transformation Programme and the Economic Transformation Programme had started to show significant successes, he said.

"Worldwide ranking improvements have shown that Malaysia is moving up its position on the world ladder. The World Bank ranked us at number 12 in its Doing Business Report 2013 and recent surveys show that Malaysia is in line to achieve a high-income developed nation status as early as 2018."

Najib said this would not be possible without the hard work of all Malaysians, be it at home or abroad.

"The Malaysian diaspora is our asset which equally contributes to our progress at home."