Malaysians urged to be wary of threats to nation's stability, sovereignty

Datuk Seri Najib Razak tonight urged Malaysians to be wary of the possibility of internal and external threats, including interference by foreign powers, to undermine the nation's stability and sovereignty.

The Prime Minister said the people should be prepared at full strength to face all possibilities as well as the current realities.

In an Aidilfitri message, he also urged Muslims as well as all Malaysians to stop slandering one another and advised them to remain united and exercise patience in facing challenges and be firm in their stand.

"On this auspicious day of Aidilfitri, let us do good. Revive fading relationships, strengthen lethargic brotherhood," he said in the message that was telecast nationwide.

"Open wide the doors of your hearts, the doors of your houses and the gates of kindness through the 1Malaysia window of goodwill," he said.

In the broader context, Najib said, Malaysia would remain committed to helping and championing the plight of the oppressed throughout the world, more so fellow Muslims, as in Palestine or any other corner of the global arena.

"As the ASEAN 2015 chairman, Malaysia is sympathetic to the plight of the Rohingya refugees and has offered appropriate assistance to them," he said.

Najib also said that Kuala Lumpur strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Tunisia, Kuwait and France several weeks ago by the IS militant group that resulted in the death and injury of many.

The heinous act, he said, was in contravention of true Islamic teachings.

"Of course, we always condemn any action that is inhumane, no matter who commits it regardless of religion, ethnicity and geographical boundaries," he said.

Thus, the prime minister said, the government would step up monitoring and security in ensuring that the extreme ideology of the IS militants does not spread to Malaysia.

He said the holy Islamic teachings advocated peace and urged the people to adhere to the 'Wasatiyyah' principle of moderation - in the sense that it is not too extreme in ideology nor too liberal in terms of faith.

He pointed out that Muslims in several countries were struggling through obstacles and Malaysia had to face many challenges and unexpected disasters.

Nevertheless, this did not prevent the Muslim community in Malaysia from celebrating Aidilfitri with joy and jubilance without being bothered by anyone, he said.

He said this could only happen if the country was governed and managed by an efficient and effective leadership.

Najib said it was for this reason that international credit rating agency Fitch Ratings recently upgraded Malaysia from 'negative' to 'stable.

This had placed Malaysia on a sound economic footing and the country was on the right track to achieve the status of a high-income advanced economy by 2020, he said.

Despite these achievements, he said, he was well aware of the plight of the people, especially in relation to the rising cost of living, and the government addressed this through the implementation of various initiatives to ease their burden, he said.

Najib said the people should report traders who charged unreasonable prices and made excessive profits.

Referring to the 11th Malaysia Plan which he tabled in Parliament recently, the prime minister said it emphasised the need to help the households in the lowest 40 percent income bracket, usually referred to as B40.