PM NAJIB ASK M`SIAN CHINESES TO PLAY LEADING ROLE IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak Saturday
called on the Malaysian Chinese community to play a leading role in helping the
country to become a high-income economy.

He said they must play that role through economic innovation in genuine
partnership with the other communities.

"Through these genuine partnerships, we can attain our goal towards
equitable distribution of the nation's wealth. We must do this if we are to
achieve our potential and sustain the progress and prosperity we have enjoyed
thus far.

"Our faith in Malaysia requires a long-term investment in the future," he
said when opening the Chinese Economic Congress on "The Role of the Chinese
Community in Achieving the New Economic Model (NEM) and the 10th Malaysia Plan
(10MP) Targets", here.

Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) President Dr Chua Soi Lek and other MCA
leaders were present at the event. MCA is one of the major three component
parties of the ruling Barisan Nasional (National Front) government.

Najib said the government was working to broaden opportunities for all
Malaysians.

He also called on the public and private sectors to work together and
utilise the talents of all diverse communities to achieve the national goals.

All parties, including the government, must encourage genuine partnership
between bumiputera and non-bumiputera communities to keep the nation moving
forward, he said.

"We must do this because we recognise that diversity is a core strength and
the source of creativity and innovation needed to grow our economy," he said.

Najib also said that the government could not make all the necessary changes
alone without the participation of and cooperation from the private sector.

The private sector plays a vital role in driving the innovation, creativity
and investment that are needed to boost Malaysia's global competitiveness and
support our goal to become a high-income nation," he said.

The prime minister also urged the congress to discuss how the private
sector, including the Chinese business community, could be transformed to be
another pillar of national growth and development.

Najib said private sector transformation was also urgently needed because
the economy could not expand without its committed and positive participation.

He said that to achieve the Vision 2020 goal of becoming a developed nation
by that year, the nation needed to be united, strong and resourceful.

"We must trust in our own abilities and drive transformation at the core to
ensure a better future for ourselves and for our children.

"We (the government) have provided the means to do this through the
Government Transformation Programme (GTP), the NEM and the 10MP," he said.

Earlier, Dr Chua, in his speech, said he hoped that the congress would come
up with resolutions on how they could move the Chinese and Malays through
genuine partnership.

At a news conference later, Dr Chua said that to achieve Vision 2020, the
various communities must work together to make the nation a high-income economy
to ensure that the country could compete at the international level.

"We only want to be fair to bumiputeras (son of the soil), and smart
partnership is a necessity.

As the prime minister suggested, we do not want an 'Ali Baba' concept
whereby as we know, for example, many Class F contractors are incapable of
competing with big and established companies.

"We do not want a situation where only one community progresses. We want
similar opportunities for bumiputeras, and this is why we have proposed genuine
partnership," he said.

He said that to achieve developed nation status, fair distribution of the
economic cake and affirmative action were important.

"Everyone should benefit from the fruits of national development, and no one
should be marginalised," he said.
-- BERNAMA