Good governance is core of government policies: PM Najib

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said good governance has always been the core of government policies and his administration ever since he took office in 2009.
He said soon after he became the Prime Minister, he introduced three initiatives; 1Malaysia concept, Government Transformation Programme and the Economic Transformation Programme which were all essential to good governance in the country.
And now with the Transformasi Nasional 2050 (TN50) which would be the nation's next long term development programme, he said it was another clear example of the government practising good governance.
Najib said TN50 was transformative, new and an innovative approach to policy-making while its bottom-up process involved extensive engagement with the Rakyat through their input and views.
"This is another clear example of the Malaysian government practising good governance, responding to the changing needs of a young population," he said in his speech at the United Nations Association Malaysia (Unam) Biennial Dinner here, tonight.
He said besides aiming to become among the world's top 20 economy by the mid century, through TN50, Malaysia also aims to be high on UN Human Development Index, the UN World Happiness Index and to score very positively on Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index.
The Prime Minister said the health of democracy in the country has also been strengthened under his government where it had repealed the Internal Security Act, ended the State of Emergency that had existed for over 60 years, increased media freedom and reformed the Universities and Universities Colleges Act among others.
"The high regard in which Malaysia is being held as a democracy and noted for good governance is shown by the welcome Malaysian government delegations have received at the White House, 10 Downing Street, Beijing, New Delhi, Berlin and numerous other seats of government," he said.
Despite the progress made, Najib however, said that the country was living in a situation and facing an epidemic of "fake news".
"And from time to time, some western media outlets have been featuring interviews with one of our former leaders and presenting his allegations about the country as facts," he said.
He said the former leader who had tried to illegitimately topple the democratically elected government, has resorted to spreading fake news and lies about the country for personal political gain.
Najib said for instance, the former leader had repeatedly said Malaysia was now among the "top 10 most corrupt countries" in the world, but according to Transparency International's latest ranking, Malaysia was not listed among the top 10 or even the top 100 most corrupt countries.
He pointed out that on the contrary, Malaysia was listed as the third least corrupt countries globally, coming in at 55th position out of 176 countries on the list.
"Things have changed since his time. We have made it clear that there will be no more crony capitalism. We have invested in infrastructure and public transport that Malaysia needed and in opposition states as well as BN states-unlike during his time," he said.
He added that his government had streamlined services, breaking down silos, enhancing efficiency and encouraging training and innovation to ensure that the country was ready for the fourth industrial revolution and the digital future.
Also present was Unam President Tengku Tan Sri Ahmad Rithauddeen and his deputy Tan Sri Razali Ismail. — Bernama