Bernama.com 4 October 2007
‘No Reason For Muslims In Malaysia To Be Backward’
ALOR STAR, Oct 4 (Bernama) There is no reason for Muslims in Malaysia to be backward now as the government has provided various facilities and plans for them, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak. He said the government had drawn up various plans to create an excellent civilisation and community so that the people would enjoy a change for the better.
Among the plans and major efforts made by the government to build an excellent civilisation were the eradication of poverty, making education the thrust of a successful civilisation and providing infrastructure to attract foreign investors and for the comfort of the people. "If all these are merged, it represents a massive and convincing plan in helping the people and ensuring a balanced and equitable development," he said at a breaking of the fast with the people organised by the Yayasan Al Bukhari, here today.
As an example, he said, Kedah which was previously known as the National Rice Bowl, had now been developed with various high-tech industries and the implementation of the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) to help the state achieve further changes.
The Deputy Prime Minister also said that a fair and equitable development also meant that the government must be fair to the non-Muslims in this country. "The considerate and tolerant attitude with regard to the rights of the non-Muslims was something that was demanded by God and this is the principle and policy propagated by the Barisan Nasional (BN)," he said.
Earlier, when opening the Al Bukhary Dialysis Centre here, Najib said the social responsibility of the corporate sector was important in contributing to national development.
Health facilities provided by the corporate sector such as the Al Bukhary Dialysis Centre were a source of pride to the country as it would make Malaysia more developed compared to the other developing countries. "In Malaysia, health facilities are not only provided by the government but also offered by the non-governmental organisations free of charge which cannot be found in other developing countries," he said.
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