Najib: Malaysians diaspora abroad should work together in promoting Malaysia

SINGAPORE: Prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the Malaysian diaspora abroad should work together in promoting the country in their own way.

In his address during a meeting with the Malaysian community here Tuesday, Najib said: "I hope all Malaysians will work closely together because eventhough you go out, (and be) part of the Malaysian diaspora... but in your own way there is much you can do to promote Malaysia.

"I believe we should look at the good side of Malaysia and you shouldn't always belittle your own country. I am not saying everything is perfect in Malaysia but there are many good things going for us.

"If we can talk about the positive attributes of Malaysia and of being a Malaysian, there would be a sense of pride," he said at the event organised by the Malaysian Association in Singapore (Masis).

Also present were Najib's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Seri Anifah Anifah Aman, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore Datuk Husni Zai Yaacob and Masis president Abraham Vergis.
Thanking Vergis for his effort in establishing the seven-month-old association, the prime minister said: "You may only be a seven-month-old toddler but I can visualise that Masis can be an important association based on what Vergis had said in his speech.

In his speech earlier, Vergis said the association believed in bringing Malaysians together including those who were no longer strictly speaking Malaysians but they would continue to be always Malaysians at heart.

Najib said it was believed that there was a large existence of Malaysian diaspora in Singapore.

"This is the largest Malaysian diaspora abroad. I suppose you can call Singapore abroad because you have to cross the causeway," he said jokingly.

He said the importance of this association and the existence of the Malaysian diaspora should be leveraged on in terms of what "we can do to promote Malaysia in the context of Malaysia being better known." – Bernama