ID :
31685
Sat, 11/22/2008 - 22:15
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/31685
The shortlink copeid
M'SIA MUST USE APEC TO PUNCH ABOVE ITS WEIGHT By From Mikhail Raj Abdullah
LIMA (Peru), Nov 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysia must use the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum to punch above its weight so that it can do more than just its size in international relations.
Challenging the people to believe in the impossible and rise beyond
expectations, Deputy Prime Minister Mohd Najib Razak said they
must not be cowed by the bigger nations in the grouping.
"If Malaysians pull together as one nation, the country can go very far and
succeed everywhere and anywhere in the world," he said on Friday at a dinner
held in conjunction with Malaysia's participation at the Apec summit.
Also present was his wife Rosmah Mansor, Foreign Affairs Minister
Dr Rais Yatim and Malaysian Ambassador to Peru Izlan Idris.
The Cambridge dictionary says that if a country or business "punches
above
their weight," they become involved in or succeed in an activity which needs
more power, money, etc. than they seem to have.
Najib would attend the two-day summit beginning Saturday which would
include
the likes of outgoing U.S. President George Bush, Russian President Vladimir
Putin, host and Peruvian President Alan Garcia and other world leaders.
They are widely expected to discuss Apec's response to the crippling global
economic crisis.
Najib said Malaysians must bear in mind that their dreams can come true by
embracing change and having faith in "Malaysia Boleh," a credo similar to the
"Change, Yes We Can" theme used by U.S. President-elect Barack Obama during his
campaign.
During his speech, Najib commended John Tey, the director of Consorcio
Palma
Sac, for being the sole and successful Malaysian in Peru with his seafood export
business and who has been here for the past 15 years.
"John Tey's success in this part of the world has given Malaysians a sense
of being able to succeed anywhere in the world," he said.
He urged Tey, who hails from southern Johore-state in Peninsular Malaysia,
to keep the Jalur Gemilang (Malaysian Flag) flying in Peru, saying there were
also potential opportunities in the Latin American country in areas such as palm
oil cultivation which others should exploit.
At the Apec meeting, Najib would also hold bilateral meetings with the
leaders of Colombia and Singapore, and participate in a dialogue with the Apec
Business Advisory Council (Abac).
The 21 Apec economies would issue a joint communique at the end of the
summit, pledging among other things, to coordinate their actions to mitigate the
risks of the crisis which is threatening to spin out of control.
Although premised on non-binding principles, Najib said the Apec summit was
important for Malaysia to make suggestions and let its views made known on the
world stage.
He said by coordinating their policies and action plans, there would be
certainty in the recovery measures by member economies to resolve the crisis and
put the global economy "back on track."
Najib, who is expected to take over from Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in
March next year, expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for giving him the
opportunity to attend the Apec summit as it would be his first foray at
Apec.
He said Abdullah's magnanimity was telling when the Prime Minister said it
would give him a chance to meet Apec leaders or otherwise, he would have to wait
a year from now for the opportunity.
"Interpersonal relations matter in the world of politics and international
diplomacy and so the value at Apec is to build lasting interpersonal
relationships," said Najib.
Earlier, Najib told Malaysian journalists there was concern that with the
exception of China, stimulus packages by other countries, especially the United
States were not comprehensive and slow to take effect.
This was because the money from the US$700 billion bail-out package for
America was not trickling down fast enough to provide much-needed credit for
interbank lending in the United States.
Najib also said he would join leaders from Russia, Hong Kong and Chile to
meet the region's private sector officials during the Abac dialogue on Saturday
after the first day of the leaders' retreat.
During interactive sessions, he said he would share Malaysia's experience
in
tackling the 1997/98 economic crisis and whether there were relevant lessons to
be learnt in efforts to resolve the current global economic crisis which is said
to be far worse than the Great Depression.
Challenging the people to believe in the impossible and rise beyond
expectations, Deputy Prime Minister Mohd Najib Razak said they
must not be cowed by the bigger nations in the grouping.
"If Malaysians pull together as one nation, the country can go very far and
succeed everywhere and anywhere in the world," he said on Friday at a dinner
held in conjunction with Malaysia's participation at the Apec summit.
Also present was his wife Rosmah Mansor, Foreign Affairs Minister
Dr Rais Yatim and Malaysian Ambassador to Peru Izlan Idris.
The Cambridge dictionary says that if a country or business "punches
above
their weight," they become involved in or succeed in an activity which needs
more power, money, etc. than they seem to have.
Najib would attend the two-day summit beginning Saturday which would
include
the likes of outgoing U.S. President George Bush, Russian President Vladimir
Putin, host and Peruvian President Alan Garcia and other world leaders.
They are widely expected to discuss Apec's response to the crippling global
economic crisis.
Najib said Malaysians must bear in mind that their dreams can come true by
embracing change and having faith in "Malaysia Boleh," a credo similar to the
"Change, Yes We Can" theme used by U.S. President-elect Barack Obama during his
campaign.
During his speech, Najib commended John Tey, the director of Consorcio
Palma
Sac, for being the sole and successful Malaysian in Peru with his seafood export
business and who has been here for the past 15 years.
"John Tey's success in this part of the world has given Malaysians a sense
of being able to succeed anywhere in the world," he said.
He urged Tey, who hails from southern Johore-state in Peninsular Malaysia,
to keep the Jalur Gemilang (Malaysian Flag) flying in Peru, saying there were
also potential opportunities in the Latin American country in areas such as palm
oil cultivation which others should exploit.
At the Apec meeting, Najib would also hold bilateral meetings with the
leaders of Colombia and Singapore, and participate in a dialogue with the Apec
Business Advisory Council (Abac).
The 21 Apec economies would issue a joint communique at the end of the
summit, pledging among other things, to coordinate their actions to mitigate the
risks of the crisis which is threatening to spin out of control.
Although premised on non-binding principles, Najib said the Apec summit was
important for Malaysia to make suggestions and let its views made known on the
world stage.
He said by coordinating their policies and action plans, there would be
certainty in the recovery measures by member economies to resolve the crisis and
put the global economy "back on track."
Najib, who is expected to take over from Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in
March next year, expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for giving him the
opportunity to attend the Apec summit as it would be his first foray at
Apec.
He said Abdullah's magnanimity was telling when the Prime Minister said it
would give him a chance to meet Apec leaders or otherwise, he would have to wait
a year from now for the opportunity.
"Interpersonal relations matter in the world of politics and international
diplomacy and so the value at Apec is to build lasting interpersonal
relationships," said Najib.
Earlier, Najib told Malaysian journalists there was concern that with the
exception of China, stimulus packages by other countries, especially the United
States were not comprehensive and slow to take effect.
This was because the money from the US$700 billion bail-out package for
America was not trickling down fast enough to provide much-needed credit for
interbank lending in the United States.
Najib also said he would join leaders from Russia, Hong Kong and Chile to
meet the region's private sector officials during the Abac dialogue on Saturday
after the first day of the leaders' retreat.
During interactive sessions, he said he would share Malaysia's experience
in
tackling the 1997/98 economic crisis and whether there were relevant lessons to
be learnt in efforts to resolve the current global economic crisis which is said
to be far worse than the Great Depression.
