Malacca developed status self-declared, says OECD official

(TMI) The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has confirmed that it had not endorsed Malacca’s developed state status, despite the declaration by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak made during a grand celebration on October 20.

OECD representative Jon Hall explained to The Malaysian Insider via email that the media could have misunderstood OECD’s role in the issue, pointing out that the organisation was not in the position to make such an endorsement.

“The OECD did not endorse the Malaccan declaration, mainly because we are not in a position to do so.

“As I tried to stress in my speech on Wednesday (October 20), there is no official definition of a developed country (at least none that I am aware of) so the OECD are in no position to set the criteria,” he said.

Hall, who managed the OECD-hosted Global Project on Measuring the Progress of Societies, was present during the celebration held on the auspicious 2010 hour on 20.10.2010 at the Stadium Hang Jebat here.

During the event, Najib had declared Malacca a developed state via tele-conferencing from Kuala Lumpur to a fan of thousands gathered at the ceremony, amid much pomp and pageantry.

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