Najib: Honesty is vital
(THE STAR) – Openness, honesty and transparency are vital if the people are to have faith that their government is working for them and not for itself. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said these guiding principles would also show that leaders and politicians were striving to lift the whole economy and not to “line their own pockets”.
Good governance, he added, was not the only answer to the many complex challenges faced.
“As political leaders and statesmen, it is up to us to show the resolve, dedication, commitment and political will required to do what is right, to right what is wrong and to prevent corruption from becoming a norm in our societies,” he said.
United we stand: (From left) WIEF chairman Tun Musa Hitam, Indonesia vice-president Prof Dr Boediono, Najib, Nazarbayev, Djibouti president Ismail Omar Guelleh, Tajikistan prime minister Oqil Oqilov and Islamic Development Bank president Dr Ahmed Mohamed Ali Al-Madani at the opening of the 7th World Islamic Economic Forum in Kazakhstan yesterday. “We should be prepared to walk the talk and practise what we preach. And governments should have no fear of criticism from the people that they serve,” he said in his keynote address at the opening of the 7th World Islamic Economic Forum here yesterday.
Najib said good governance should come “naturally” to Muslim nations as it had been their nature for more than 1,500 years.
He cited the fourth Caliph Ali Abi Talib, the fourth son-in-law of Prophet Mohammad, who told Egyptian governor Maalik as-Ashtar that “his administration would only succeed if he governs with concern for justice, equality, probity and the prosperity of all”, including women.
However, he added that good governance was “easier said than done” in a world that has been characterised by factors such as political influence, unequal competition and opportunities, strong family ties, unlimited greed, inadequate rules and regulations and poor enforcement.
Later in wrapping his visit, Najib described the development of Central Asia and Kazakhstan as an eye-opener.
“The country is more open to encouraging foreign companies to invest here in many areas,” he told the Malaysian media.
He added that he emphasised in additional meetings with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Prime Minister Karim Massimov that Malaysia had expertise in construction.
“They also hope we can increase our investments in certain areas,” he added.
