Najib renewed Malaysia's commitment to empower women

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak today renewed Malaysia's commitments to empower women following his re-election as prime minister.
Delivering the keynote address at the Women Deliver Global Conference 2013, Najib said every girl and woman, regardless of her religion, political affiliation, social status or location, deserved a safe, healthy and prosperous life.
"Our national, regional and global stability depend on it.
"When our girls and women are educated, healthy and independent, the benefits extend beyond individual freedom to prosperity and achievement," he said at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre this morning.

Investing In well-being of girls, women a smart move - Najib

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said investing in girls' and women's education, health, safety, rights and financial independence not only pays but is also a smart investment.He said there were undeniable values in such investments as when girls and women were empowered, the benefits would extend beyond the individuals.

"Freed from the unnatural constraints of inequality, women can realise their potential as active participants in the community and in the world," he said.Addressing the 3rd Global Conference on Women Deliver 2013 here today, Najib spoke about the government's commitment to ensure that the health and well-being of girls and women in this country were viewed as priorities, not mere afterthoughts.

Najib noted that with the government's re-election came new and increased commitment to empower women and girls in an effort to drive the nation's development forward."Every girl and woman in Malaysia, regardless of her religion, political affiliation, social status or location, deserves a safe, healthy and prosperous life. Our national, regional and global stability depends on it," Najib said.

Present were his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who is also patron of the conference, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim and Women Deliver president Jill Sheffield.

More than 3,000 delegates, including policymakers, advocates and international leaders representing over 150 countries, are attending the three-day conference beginning Tuesday.Malaysia is the first Asian country to be given the honour to host the global conference previously held in London and Washington D.C.

The event is touted as the largest global conference of the decade to focus on the health and well-being of girls and women. It is organised by Women Deliver which is headquartered in New York.

Najib said as Malaysia strove to become a developed nation by the end of the decade, the challenge was to ensure that the country's economic growth was truly inclusive with opportunities created and open to all citizens, and women were afforded the same rights, respect and opportunities as men.

"That will not happen from the top-down, change must come in the workplace, in the villages, in the mind of all Malaysians," he said.He noted that health advocates and experts must be ready to engage in dialogue with faith leaders to dispel negative perceptions on matters pertaining to girls' and women's health.

Women and girls, he said, must be empowered to make informed choices and take personal responsibility for their health within a social fabric that encouraged it.The prime minister said problems like teenage pregnancies, abandoned babies, early marriage and sexually transmitted infections must be addressed without stigma or discrimination.

"This will sometimes require a change in mindset, a willingness to look again at our approach, to ask ourselves whether we're doing all we can to put girls' and women's health first," he said.He stressed the importance of educating girls on their health and well-being which he believed would further lower maternal mortality and morbidity rates, help halt the spread of diseases including HIV and AIDS as well as improve child health and nutrition.

Investing in universal education without gender discrimination had yielded results beyond expectations, but the challenge for Malaysia, as for many other countries, was to ensure that success in the classroom carried over into life outside it, he added.

Najib: Women still under represented in workforce and politics

KUALA LUMPUR (May 28): While Malaysia has seen significant results from its efforts towards becoming an equitable nation, women still remain under represented in both politics and the workforce, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.In his keynote address at the Women Deliver Global Conference 2013 here, Najib highlighted Malaysia’s achievements in areas of education and maternal health care and services.

Malaysia has one of the lowest maternal mortality ratios in the region, having slashed its maternal mortality rate by 45% from 53 per 1000,000 in 1990 to 29 per 100,000 in 2010.“It is my hope that countries still lagging behind in meeting the 5th Millennium Development Goal will be able to learn from our experience,” Najib told the audience of royalty, dignitaries and global advocates and experts.

Present were his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who is also patron of the conference, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim and Women Deliver president Jill Sheffield.
“We stand ready to provide technical support to countries with persistently high maternal mortality,” said Najib.

The former Women, Family and Community Development Minister also pointed out that Malaysia’s investment in universal education without gender discrimination has yielded results “beyond expectations”.
“A girl at school in Malaysia today is more likely to go to university than her male classmates,” he said to applause from the audience.

“Today 65% of students enrolled in tertiary education are women. Consider this in light of what happened to Malala Yousafzai who dared to dream of having access to education."Malala, a Pakistani teenager and the youngest nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, last year survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban who were trying to stop her championing of education for girls.

However, Najib added, Malaysia’s challenge is to now ensure that such opportunities for girls and women do not narrow in the real world.Malaysian women make up 49% of the population and the electorate but only 47% of the country’s workforce.

The government has since committed itself to ensuring that women hold at least 30% of decision-making positions in the public and private sectors by 2016.“Women are still not equally represented in the workforce,” he stated. “Female labour participation which is currently at 47% must be improved if we want to continue seeing robust and sustainable growth.”

For this to happen, he said, more jobs aligned to women’s needs should be offered to encourage their participation in the workforce such as through home-based, part-time or flexible working hours.His administration aims to encourage this shift with reforms under the Economic Transformation Programme which is targeting an increase in female labour participation and the number of women on public listed company boards to 55% and 30% respectively.

“Furthermore, if we want to see equally sustainable democracy it is clear that we must increase women’s political participation,” Najib stated.“I am encouraged by the active and visible role taken by some women in our national politics. But I believe it is incumbent upon us to find out why women are under-represented in Malaysia’s political discourse.”

The recently concluded GE13 saw 23 women elected at parliamentary level and 57 women elected at state level.In total, women politicians now represent 11% of the country’s parliamentary and state seats which is still lower than the 30% target of the United Nations Committee on the Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Najib: Malaysia’s investment in education without gender discrimination has yielded results

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's investment in education, without gender discrimination, has yielded results beyond the Government's expectation, said the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.Speaking at the 3rd Global Conference on Women Deliver 2013, Najib said 65 percent of students in institutions of tertiary educations here are women.

"A girl at school in Malaysia today is more likely to go to University than her male classmates."Although we have the same number of girls and boys enrolled in school, higher education rates are greater for women," he said on Tuesday.

However, he agreed that enrolment was only the first step."For Malaysia, as for many countries, the challenge is to ensure that success in the classroom carries over into life outside it, that the world of opportunity for girls and women does not narrow upon graduation, but opens up," he said, adding that women were not equally represented in the country's workforce, currently standing at 47 percent.

"More jobs aligned to women's needs should be offered to encourage their participation in the workforce, such as through home-based, part-time or flexible working hours," he said in his speech.Citing several Malaysian women he described as superstar players including Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Najib said their successes showed the country in its best light.

"I know that a few superstar players do not mean that the field is level."We have taken clear steps towards a more equitable nation in education, healthcare and in wage equality but there is still much more to be done," he said.

Speaking about the country's successes in the development of and empowerment of women, Najib pointed out that Malaysia had made great progress in of maternal healthcare."Thanks to strategic, focused and targeted interventions, thousands of women and children in Malaysia are able to survive and enjoy a good quality of life," he said, adding that Malaysia was prepared to provide technical support to countries with persistently high maternal mortality.He also called on health advocates and experts to engage with faith leaders to dispel negative perceptions, which stand in the way of women empowerment.

Why this kolaveri over GE2013 when we could be celebrating our unity and diversity

There's a dream for everyone.You and me never let it go And I can't do it alone.Just with you my friend.Climbing on a mountain so far and high.Reaching to the flag that I desire.Just cause the hope and trust you taught meI’ll never fall.Standing in the middle of a mist so cold And I’m trying to go back home.You came with a blanket, came with a hug And I’m freezing no more.We can do it Together now.Bringing us closer and closerLike never before.Hope is shining through and I know its true Watching with a vision where’s it heading toBinding us together as we’re marching on No we’ll never fall, no we’ll never fall.

Malaysia's governing coalition wins majority

Malaysia's ruling coalition has retained its 56-year hold on power in hard-fought elections but opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says the victory is tainted and has refused to concede. The Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition led by Prime Minister Najib Razak got well past the threshold of 112 seats for a simple majority in parliament, standing on 133 as final returns continued to trickle in early on Monday.

Najib, 59, called for a spirit of "reconciliation" after Sunday's elections, which saw record voter turnout and were preceded by a fierce campaign that laid bare deep polarisation in the country. "For the sake of national interest, I ask all parties, especially the opposition, to accept this result with an open heart," Najib said. "Overall, the results show a trend of polarisation which worries the government. If it is not addressed, it can create tension or division in the country." Police have banned all victory parades and street demonstrations after the declaration of the results.

But Anwar, whose three-party Pakatan Rakyat (People's Pact) alliance had hoped to pull off a stunning win against the only government Malaysia has known, was in no mood to concede. "It is an election that we consider fraudulent and the EC (Election Commission) has failed," an exhausted-looking Anwar said after the announced returns dashed early hopes among his supporters that victory was at hand. Among irregularities alleged by the opposition, Anwar has said tens of thousands of "dubious" and possibly foreign voters were flown to key constituencies to sway results. The government denies the charge. Legal avenues Opposition officials said Pakatan Rakyat would explore possible legal avenues over such allegations, but the poll result is likely to stand as court challenges that threaten the government's hold rarely gain traction. The EC said a record 80 percent of the multi-ethnic country's 13 million registered voters - or more than 10 million people - had turned out on Sunday. Voters took to the internet in droves to accuse Najib's government of trying to steal the election, as indelible ink that he touted as a guarantee against voter fraud was found to easily wash off. Social media websites have been abuzz with videos showing foreign nationals receiving citizenship through dubious means and then being transported into voting centres to vote, Al Jazeera's Florence Looi reported from Kuala Lumpur.

Videos, pictures and first-hand accounts of purportedly foreign"voters" being confronted at polling centres by angry citizens also went viral online. Najib had been under pressure from conservatives in his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Barisan Nasional's dominant force, to regain seats lost in 2008 polls when Pakatan Rakyat stunned the ruling bloc with its worst setback ever. There have been warnings that he could face a leadership challenge within UMNO if he fell short. Najib appears to have failed to improve, but did not lose significant ground in parliament, and Barisan Nasional gained back one of four states held by the opposition. Malaysia has 13 states. Najib also has been squeezed by rising public pressure for reform, to which he has responded with some limited liberalisation moves. He had called for voters to give him his first mandate - Najib was installed in 2009 when his predecessor was dumped over the 2008 result - so that he could continue his reform agenda. Career at a crossroads The election outcome raises the spectre of an end to the charismatic Anwar's remarkable career, after he earlier pledged to step aside as opposition leader if he failed to win the long-awaited election. Anwar, 65, was deputy prime minister until his overthrow in a 1998 power struggle with then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and jailing for six years on sex charges widely viewed as trumped up, events that deeply polarised Malaysian politics. Anwar later brought his pan-racial appeal to the once-divided opposition, dramatically reversing its fortunes. After leading Pakatan Rakyat to historic gains in 2008 polls in which it denied Barisan Nasional its powerful two-thirds majority for the first time ever, Anwar had aimed to topple the government on Sunday. Pakatan Rakyat campaigned against corruption and pledged to roll back a decades old quota system that favours ethnic Malays in schools, business contracts and civil service jobs. But ethnic Malay-dominated Barisan Nasional retained powerful advantages, including control of traditional media, key institutions and an electoral landscape which critics say is biased in its favour.

Malaysia vote: PM Najib Razak's Barisan Nasional wins

Malaysia's ruling coalition has won a simple majority in the country's election, extending its 56-year rule.

The Election Commission said Prime Minister Najib Razak's Barisan Nasional (BN; National Front) coalition won 133 of the 222 in parliamentary seats - its worst-ever election performance.

The opposition won 89 seats, up from 82, in Sunday's election.Defeated opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim accused the ruling coalition of widespread fraud.

Voters - some 80% of whom cast ballots - had been faced with returning the ruling coalition or choosing Mr Anwar's untested three-party alliance, Pakatan Rakyat.Malaysian shares reacted positively to news that the BN had won.

The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index jumped 6.8% to a lifetime high of 1,808.90 in early trade on Monday. The local currency, the ringgit, hit a 10-month high.

'Polarisation'

In the 2008 polls, the BN lost its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time - something it failed to regain in these elections.

As the result was confirmed, Mr Najib, 59, urged all Malaysians to accept his coalition's victory but acknowledged there was work ahead.

"One of the programmes we will undertake is national reconciliation... I think we realise that there are a lot of things we have to do as a party," he said.He noted that ethnic Chinese voters had turned to the opposition, which has pledged to reform the government's affirmative action policies that benefit ethnic Malays, in what he called "a Chinese tsunami".

Anwar said irregularities cost him seats

"The results show a trend of polarisation which worries the government. If it is not addressed, it can create tension or division in the country," Mr Najib said.Unconfirmed reports suggested that the coalition did not receive a majority of the popular vote.

Tallies by independent online media gave the BN coalition 49% of the vote, which would make Mr Najib the first leader to win with a minority of the popular vote, AFP news agency reported.Mr Anwar, meanwhile, accused the authorities of widespread abuses which he said had distorted the result of the election."It is an election that we consider fraudulent and the Electoral Commission has failed," he told a news conference after midnight on Monday.

Election was considered Malaysia's most keenly contested poll since independence

PM Najib Razak leads the long-dominant coalition Barisan Nasional (National Front)

Anwar Ibrahim leads the three-party opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat Key poll issues included corruption, race-based policies that favour ethnic Malays, and the economy

Turnout was estimated at a record 80%, election officials said

"We see these irregularities have cost us many seats, particularly those with narrow margins," he said.

Allegations of election fraud had surfaced before the election. Some of those who voted in advance told BBC News that indelible ink on their hands - supposed to last for days and show they had already voted - had easily washed off.

The opposition also accused the government of funding flights for supporters to key states, which the government denied.Independent pollster Merdeka Center cited unconfirmed reports of foreign nationals being given ID documents and being allowed to vote.

There were also reports of attacks against independent media. Most traditional media in Malaysia are linked to the ruling parties.This result is a bitter blow to the opposition coalition, after a spirited campaign that tapped into a hunger for change among many younger Malaysians, the BBC's Jonathan Head in Kuala Lumpur reports.

They had believed a surge of support, especially in urban areas, would be enough to unseat a ruling coalition that has been in government for more than half a century, our correspondent adds.Thousands of opposition supporters swapped their Facebook profile photos for black boxes to show their dismay when they learned that the ruling coalition had retained power, AP news agency reported.

Malaysia's economy to grow stronger in Q2

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's economy will grow stronger in the second half this year, driven by the removal of the political uncertainty and the Government's firm economic policy, said Credit Suisse Securities (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Stephen Hagger.

He said Malaysia would join an exclusive club currently comprising the Philippines and Thailand which had all the three certainties: primarily economic, corporate earnings and political stability.In the first quarter this year, Malaysia's economy had been put on hold, with everyone predicting the date of the 13th General Election, he said.

“Based on our forecasts, the Malaysian economy is to grow somewhere around 5% this year, boosted by the government's Economic Transformation Programme (ETP),” he told reporters at a forum entitled “GE13 What it means for Business?” yesterday.Hagger said the consistent growth of the gross domestic product and political stability in Malaysia would strengthen the economy.

He said the Malaysian Government's present focus was to reduce the budget deficit to 4% this year.“Everyone is working towards achieving a budget surplus by 2020 and we are heading in the right direction. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) is looking very carefully to signs that the current deficit is under control although there is no great rush, but the direction must be there and this is very much in the control of the Malaysian Government,” he said.

Asked for his recommendations for a stronger benchmark, Hagger said it would be bolstered by construction and banking stocks.“I expect construction stocks like Gamuda, IJM and UEM Land to move up, spurred by the government's projects under the ETP,” he said.

He said banking stocks such as CIMB, RHB and OSK would also be bullish.On Maybank, Hagger said the appointment of the bank's managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of the Economic Planning Unit, would create a huge impact on the bank.“However, there is not too much worry about that as the bank is still strong and will remain bullish this year,” he added. - Bernama

Malaysia’s economy ‘to pick up pace in 2H2013’

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — The Malaysian economy will pick up pace and grow further in the second half of this year following the moderate performance in the first quarter, says a leading banker.

Maybank president and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar said the moderation in the gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first quarter reflected the weak economic activities during the period.

“I expect the economy to pick up in the second half, driven by the removal of the political uncertainty and the government’s strong economic policy,” Abdul Wahid, who has been appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), told reporters after attending the SSM National Conference here today.

Bank Negara Malaysia announced last week that Malaysia’s GDP expanded by 4.1 per cent in the first quarter of this year amid the weaker external environment compared with 5.1 per cent in the same quarter last year and 6.5 per cent in the fourth quarter 2012.    

Abdul Wahid said the country’s economic driver would be the new government economic plans.

“The Maybank Investment segment has forecast about 5.3 per cent growth this year and the government expects about five to six per cent. I believe we should achieve somewhere along there,” he said.

Abdul Wahid said he was confident that Maybank Islamic would contribute one third to Maybank group’s earnings.“We expect the Islamic bank segment to contribute more and achieve one third by 2015,” he said, adding that currently Maybank Islamic contributed about 30 per cent to the Maybank group’s earnings.

He said the Islamic banking was growing especially in Malaysia.Asked on the bank’s succession plan, Abdul Wahid said the board of directors were in discussions to pick his successor.

“I’m sure the bank has a good succession plan and they probably need some time before making any announcement,” he said.Abdul Wahid said he would resign as Maybank president and chief executive officer on June 4.“But before this, let me complete my duties at Maybank, which will release its first quarter financial results on May 23,” he said.

Abdul Wahid described his new responsibility as the minister in charge of the EPU as a very challenging task.

“I’m very nervous on my new position as a minister, this is a public office, with a mammoth responsibility, but I’m honoured to serve the country.

“This is a great challenge and I will do my best,” he said.After helming three corporate giants, namely UEM Builders Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd and Maybank, he will take his oath of office as a senator on June 5 to assume his minister’s post. – Bernama  

Malaysians need to calm down and unite

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s 1Malaysia concept remains relevant despite efforts to interpret the outcome of the 13th general election in a racial context, say analysts.

Political analyst Dr Ibrahim Ghafar said the main consideration is that the Barisan Nasional (BN) managed to win 133 of the 222 parliamentary seats.

“We have to bear in mind that the 1Malaysia concept has nothing to do with political preferences or ideologies.“Furthermore, its effectiveness thus far has been demonstrated by the majority of the people voting for moderation, which is represented by the BN,” he said.

Ibrahim said it cannot be denied that at first glance, 1Malaysia appears to be drowned by political ideologies and, in particular, by what the media keeps referring to as the ‘Chinese tsunami’ which garnered a big win for the opposition DAP.He stressed that this polarization was all the more reason for the 1Malaysia concept to be instilled and strengthened among the multiracial communities.

The DAP won 38 parliamentary seats on May 5 on the wave of solid Chinese support in the urban areas despite Chinese candidates from the BN contesting in the same seats.

“I believe, however, that there are still many Chinese who support the BN. There are many Chinese in the constituencies which the BN won.“Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has made it clear that his priority now is national reconciliation, and for the people to unite towards nation-building despite their political differences.

“And this is where the 1Malaysia concept should be promoted as a medium for racial unity,” he said.

‘Shed hardcore political beliefs’

Dr Noor Sulastry Yurni Ahmad, a senior lecturer at the Anthropology and Sociology Department, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, is of the opinion that national integration will not be achieved if people refuse to shed their hardcore political beliefs.

“The prime minister introduced the 1Malaysia concept to bring the communities closer, to appreciate and implement all aspects of national unity regardless of political beliefs.“In fact, the concept also treats racial diversity as a basis to strengthen unity.

“What’s important now is that after the majority have given BN the mandate, the party must be given the chance and support to rectify weaknesses and deliver their promises in the next five years. As a peace-loving nation people should also continue supporting 1Malaysia,” she said.

A similar opinion was shared by Malaysian Indian Welfare Association president A Prakash who felt that 1Malaysia was a more suitable concept to unite the multiracial community, which could not be achieved through a political avenue.“We must be grateful for the peace we have and for the freedom to practice our religions and cultures,” he said.

Malaysian Youth Movement president Tan Pei Leong said the outcome of the general election should be accepted by everyone with an open heart.“We must close this chapter. Malaysians need to calm down and unite, and not provoke each other. We must give the government a chance to prove itself over the next five years,” he said.

Boycott ‘madness’ festivals, accept defeat

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians must boycott the “pesta kegilaan” (festival of madness) by the opposition over claims of electoral fraud and accept that Barisan Nasional won the 13th general election.

Newly minted Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said this when asked to comment on Home Minister Zahid Hamidi’s statement that Malaysians unhappy with the electoral system should emigrate.

“I have to see the context of Zahid’s statement, what was reported [before I can comment]… but I agree…that there are ‘madness festivals’ being run by sore losers,” said Ahmad Shabery at a press conference today.

“I feel this must be stopped. Most importantly, the rakyat must stop them, must boycott them and leave them because these festivals are about rejecting the decision made by the rakyat through our electorate system,” he added.

Ahmad Zahid wrote in a column published last Wednesday in Utusan Malaysia that the opposition was deliberately confusing “Chinese youths and politically blind followers” into protesting the election results.

This was in response to the series of mega rallies Pakatan Rakyat organised, claiming that electoral fraud and an incompetent Election Commission had robbed them of their victory.

But Ahmad Shabery today mocked the opposition and their supporters for “behaving like children” and “shrieking here and there” and suggested that their actions contravened the country’s democratic and constitutional system.

“We have to see what laws applies against these sore losers who act outside the limits of our democratic and constitutional system,” said Ahmad Shabery.

“Are they seen as going against our constistution and democratic system?” he asked.

He also dismissed Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s argument that Pakatan was the rightful victor by virtue of winning the popular vote, insisting instead that the opposition pact only won big in urban areas.

“Even if they won the popular votes, it was in the urban areas. But our country’s democratic system takes into account not only the urban votes but the rural.

“They can’t dismiss the voters in Kapit, in Machang and Kinabatangan as unimportant. If the people there have said they want the existing party to continue ruling Malaysia, they must accept this,” he added.

He pointed out that despite claims of electoral fraud and gerrymandering, Pakatan had no qualms about accepting their victories in Selangor and Penang.

“If they didn’t agree with the system, they wouldn’t have accepted the swearing in ceremony of the Selangor Menteri Besar [PKR's Khalid Ibrahim] and Penang Chief Minister [DAP’s Lim Guan Eng]. But they did,” said Ahmad Shabery.

Malaysia to work hard for UN Security Council seat

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia will go all out to secure a seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2015-2016 term so that the country can play a part in international security issues.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said Tuesday that although he was confident that Asean member states would support Malaysia, considering it was the only Asean state contesting, the votes of other countries were equally important.

"We must not take it for granted. We have to work very hard and we have to engage and meet leaders from various countries to secure the seat, but I am quite confident that Malaysia has a very good name globally," he told reporters here.

Anifah said the seat in UNSC would send a strong message of peace and the right to co-exist.

On another matter, he said it was also important for the ministry to clear Malaysia's name abroad, since there were some people who tarnished and smeared the country's good image through relentless allegations and negative tactics, especially on the recently-concluded general election.

On the 21 Malaysians detained in Singapore for staging a protest over the general election results, he said the law of the country should be respected but it was the duty of the ministry to assist if it was needed.

On the visit of United States President Barack Obama in October, Anifah said, while there were indications he was coming, it had to be re-confirmed since his schedule might be changed due to internal problems.

He said Malaysia was looking forward to enhance the country's relations with its neighbours, including Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.