Najib wants young people to engage in volunteer work

The prime minister said his dream was for the youths of the country to one day join hands to help not just one another but also the community at large and embody in them the spirit of volunteerism.

"The key thing is you do not expect anything in return. The only thing that you will get is the sense of self-accomplishment and self-satisfaction that you have contributed something.

"I believe if you contribute something and help others, you are going to feel a lot better yourself ... trust me.

That is the great feeling that you cannot get by other activities," he said in his speech at the iM4U Reach Out Youth and Volunteerism Convention at the Taylor's Lakeside Campus, here.

1Malaysia for Youth (iM4U) is a common platform for Malaysian youths to carry out volunteer activities that can benefit communities in need and social groups.

The platform also provides financial support for volunteer projects through its Dana Sukarelawan 1Malaysia (DRe1M).

Najib said Malaysian youths must also remember those who had fought and died to keep the country free and peaceful.

"Unfortunately, yesterday we lost two very brave policemen who died in the line of duty so that we can live in peace in this country. These are the people who have made a lot of difference for Malaysia," he added. Two police commandos were killed yesterday in a gun battle in Sabah with armed intruders claiming to be from the Sulu Sultanate in the Philippines.

Najib also called upon the private sector to support volunteerism initiatives throughout the country.

"We welcome all the corporate players out there to join hands with us in spreading the spirit of volunteerism across the country. I remember that there was a time when the private sector would reward an organisation that gives back to the community effectively through its corporate responsibility programmes," he said.

"Thus, I would like to take this chance to call upon the private sector to not only join us, but also to support volunteerism initiatives throughout the country ," he said.

On iM4U, Najib said they were looking at expanding the list of ambassadors who would rally more youths to take part in volunteering activities across the nation.

"I was also made to understand that the iM4U Facebook page to date has 40,000 likes and 8,000 followers on Twitter. In addition, more than 300 activities have been approved since its inception via the DRe1M fund, with almost RM700,000 given out to fund these activities.

"One hundred outreach centres have been set up across the public and private universities across Malaysia and, in fact, I will be launching the outreach centre at Puncak Alam (Selangor) later today," he said.

At the event, Najib launched the sale of 9,999 vehicle registration plates featuring "iM4U" to the public. The proceeds from the sale would be channelled to Dre1M.