Agong congratulates Najib for a job well done

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah today congratulated Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for the country's achievements last year which included the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), the hosting of the ASEAN Summit and the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

Noting the GST as the country's saviour, the King said Malaysia's strong fundamentals and efficient fiscal management placed the economy on a sustainable growth path.

"The economy grew by five percent last year and was poised for growth of between 4.0 and 4.5 percent this year despite global and political uncertainties and falling oil and commodities prices," said Tuanku Abdul Halim at the opening of the first meeting of the fourth session of the 13th Parliament here today.

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Praising the prime minister for hosting the ASEAN Summit, which saw the realisation of the ASEAN Community 2015, the King said he was proud of the achievement.

"The related summits which had successfully gathered several world leaders in one forum, further emphasised our role at the international level," said His Majesty.

Tuanku Abdul Halim also said the international community's high-level of confidence in Malaysia was reflected by the country's success in becoming a part of UNESCO's executive board for the 2015-2019 period, retaining it seat on the International Maritime Organisation for the sixth consecutive year.

In terms of the Global Competitiveness Report, Malaysia was ranked 18th out of 144 countries, said His Majesty.

The King also congratulated various government agencies for their relentless work in ensuring Malaysia became a part of the TPPA – a trade pact which would ensure the country remained competitive globally.

Malaysia needed to expand its market access to ensure its exports continued to grow and joining the TPPA would provide greater market with 12 member states with a combined Gross Domestic Product of more than US$27 trillion, said the King.

"My government has, and always will, uphold the interest of this country including the Bumiputera economic agenda in any trade negotiation including the TPPA," he said.