Malaysian envoy to UK defends Najib in letter to Financial Times

- Bernama

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian envoy to the United Kingdom has defended Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's track record following criticism of the Prime Minister in a recent Financial Times article.

Datuk Ahmad Rasidi Hazizi (pic), who is Malaysia's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, said in a letter published on the Financial Times website that Najib had made "tangible progress" since he assumed office in 2009.

"Many Malaysians are puzzled by your newspaper's recent attack on the record of our Prime Minister Najib Razak and the suggestion that his leadership of Malaysia has been 'disastrous'.

"This runs counter to the real, tangible progress that has been made since the prime minister assumed office in 2009," he said in the letter published on Monday.

Ahmad Rasidi was responding to an editorial titled "The threat Najib poses to Malaysia's reputation", which was published on Jan 28.

Citing several examples, the envoy said Malaysia's gross national income had grown by 47.7%, 1.8 mil jobs were created, while private investment in the country had more than tripled after the Economic Transformation Programme was introduced in 2010.

He pointed out that unemployment had also declined to below the 3% mark, while the country's poverty rate had also been cut in half.

Ahmad Rasidi also noted that Malaysia's relations with both China and the US have never been better, while President Barack Obama recently described Malaysia's voice as being "critical in the debate that is taking place internationally around terrorism".

"I know the FT sets the bar high, but if these and many other factual achievements make him a 'disastrous' prime minister, we wonder what he would have to do to be considered successful by your writers," he added.

The FT editorial had accused the Prime Minister of damaging Malaysia's reputation, in relation to allegations surrounding the RM2.6bil political donation into his private bank accounts and 1Malaysia Development Berhad's financial dealings.