Malaysia PM Najib Tun Razak calls general election

Malaysia is set for its most contested general election since independence in 1957 after Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak dissolved parliament on Wednesday.
The poll will define the pace of economic and political reform in the resources-rich southeast Asian nation. The election commission must set a date for the poll, with April 20 being one possibility.

Investors have been unnerved by the uncertainty surrounding the election. The poll pits a resurgent opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim against Mr Najib’s Barisan Nasional coalition, which has ruled uninterrupted for the past 56 years.

Malaysian equities fell on the news, with the Kuala Lumpur Stock Index down 1.2 per cent by midday at 1,664.58. The market has been one of the worst performers in Asia this year amid election uncertainty.

Malaysia is a moderate Muslim state and a key US ally. Its politics have long been dominated by the United National Malays Organisation (Umno) party, which represents the majority Malay population in the ethnically mixed population of 28m.

Mr Najib tun razak, who heads Umno, has presided over robust growth since embarking on a sweeping economic programme in 2010. The economy grew by 5.6 per cent last year, making Malaysia one of the best performers in Asia.
Foreign investors have been cheered by initiatives that aim to double per capita gross domestic product to $15,000 by 2010, and fiscal reforms that will gradually wean the country off fuel and food subsidies.But the pace of reforms could be called into question if, as political observers expect, Umno and its coalition partners only scrape a narrow victory.

Barisan faces an uphill struggle to improve on its showing at the last election in 2008, when it was robbed of its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time. That led the party in 2009 to replace then-prime minister Abdullah Badawi with Mr Najib Tun Razak, the son of a former Malaysian prime minister.

An opposition win would propel to power a coalition whose economic policies are untested, which has also unsettled investors.
Warning that Malaysia’s “national transformation” was “still a story half-told”, Mr Najib said the country risked “losing out” if Barisan Nasional were not re-elected.

“If we do not keep up the pace of reform, we risk losing out,” Mr Najib Tun Razak said in a televised address. “But with a strong mandate, we can continue. So today, I ask you to let me finish the job: to vote for progress, not against it.”
To shore up support from lower-income, rural workers and government employees, Mr Najib Tun Razak has in recent weeks stepped up a campaign of cash handouts. This week he announced M$1,000 (US$320) bonuses for 40,000 employees of Petronas, the state-owned oil and gas company, for “contributing to nation-building”.

However, the ruling coalition is vulnerable amid widespread dissatisfaction with corruption and alleged cronyism after decades of Umno rule.
“This is the first election in Malaysia’s history when the electorate will have a clear choice over whether to keep the longest running coalition in the world in power,” said Bridget Welsh, a Malaysia expert at Singapore Management University.

Asked in an interview with the FT last week if his government was doing enough to tackle corruption, Mr Najib Tun Razak said: “It is a scourge and we all have to fight it, and it’s going to be a hard battle.”
The opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition, which is made up of three parties, is seen as better organised than at the last election in 2008, political observers say.

Both sides are wooing a wave of young, new voters who could prove decisive in some battleground states such as Selangor on peninsular Malaysia’s west coast.
An estimated 3m young people – more than 10 per cent of the population – have registered as first-time voters. That is a 25 per cent increase in the number of new voters at the last election and the biggest such rise since Malaysia won independence from Britain.

Barisan currently holds 137 seats in the 222-seat parliament, with Pakatan Rakyat on 75. The rest are held by independents. To win power, either coalition must secure 112 seats, with key battleground states expected to be Johor, opposite Singapore, Selangor, Perak and Kedah.

Najib Tun Razak to convene meeting to find solution on recognition of uec to enter ipta

Najib Tun Razak

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will soon convene a meeting with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education to find a solution that will be acceptable to all on the recognition of Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) to enter local public higher learning institutions (IPTA).
In a joint statement by Najib tun Razak and United Chinese School Committees’ Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong), it said the meeting yesterday, among others had discussed on the issue concerning the recognition of the UEC which relates
to applications for entering IPTA.
“There was a discussion on requirement of students from Chinese medium schools to have at least a credit in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Bahasa Malaysia paper along with the UEC, as a condition for applying to IPTA.
“There was also discussion on the issue of accreditation to the UEC Bahasa Malaysia subject,” it said.
Yesterday, Najib Tun Razak met six representatives from Dong Zong at the Prime Minister’s Office at Kompleks Perdana Putra here.
Najib Tun Razak became the first prime minister to have met Dong Zong since it was established 59 years ago.
Dong Zong was led by its chairman, Dr Yap Sin Tian, deputy chairman Chow Siew Hon, vice chairmen Kho Hai Meng and Wang Toon Jui, secretary-general Poh Chin Chuan and treasurer Lim Kock Chai.
In the historic one-hour meeting, Najib and Dong Zong representatives also discussed and exchanged ideas on the betterment of Chinese education in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Yap said Dong Zong was hoping to get some good news from the prime minister, however, there were some ‘technical problems’ on the accreditation of Bahasa Malaysia subject in UEC which need further discussion.
“We hope to get some good news soon… maybe before the general election,” he told reporters here yesterday. — Bernama

Najib Tun Razak : Two-thirds majority for BN achievable

Najib Tun Razak

REMARKABLE ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE: A Barisan Nasional victory will result in unprecedented boom in the stock market
PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is cautiously optimistic that the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition will attain victory in the general election, which could be called in a matter of days.
In an interview with the Financial Times daily journalist Jeremy Grant at his office in Putrajaya last week, Najib Tun Razak said achieving two-thirds majority was “achievable”.
“But I realise that in an election, anything could happen. That’s why I say I’m cautiously optimistic.
“Investors are looking for a strong mandate for the current government. If we should, or rather when we get a good result, you will see an unprecedented boom in the stock market. I’m quite confident of that,” he said.
Under Najib’s leadership, the country had seen a remarkable economic performance, which the International Monetary Fund last year described as having “surpassed expectations”.
The economy grew 5.5 per cent, driven by domestic demand and the buoyant exports of commodities such as gas and palm oil.
The daily reported that the country had also benefited from an economic programme introduced by Najib, who is finance minister, which aimed to double per capita income to US$15,000 (RM46,510) by 2020.
Such strong economic reforms have instilled external confidence in the current administration, which saw foreign holdings of Malaysian government bonds jump by 550 per cent to RM215 billion (US$69 billion).
According to the daily, the recent campaign by the Najib-led administration to root out Filipino intruders in Sabah could also give the premier a boost, especially from nationalist-minded voters.
On if he would introduce general sales tax, Najib Tun Razak said: ” I will look at the tax structure, definitely, because we need to enhance the revenue base. The government’s revenue base has to be predicted on much stronger footing.”
Najib Tun Razak took a swipe at the Pakatan Rakyat coalition’s economic proposals as contained in its manifesto, which included raising the minimum wage, abolishing monopolies in telecommunications and rice, and removing excise duty on vehicles.
“I think it is too risky to put faith in a coalition that does not have a clear sense of direction that they want to take the country in. They have also presented a manifesto that is not credible,” he said, adding that the manifesto would send Malaysia’s current account into deficit within a year.
The prime minister said the government was “equally concerned about corruption”, adding that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission was focused.
“Prostitution and corruption are two things that mankind has had to live with for so long, but we are determined to tackle it. It is a scourge. But it is something that will not go away overnight.”
On his decision to make changes in Umno’s constitution last year making it easier to challenge the leadership, Najib Tun Razak said by doing so, he had made Umno “more democratic, more inclusive”.
“Of course, by doing that, I’m putting myself at risk. But I believe that what we’re doing is good for the country and good for the party.”

 

NAJIB TUN RAZAK : VOTE BN FOR PEACE AND STABILITY

KUALA KANGSAR: A vote for Barisan Nasional in the general election is a vote for peace and stability.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Barisan aimed to bring peace, stability and prosperity to the country and urged the people to support the Government.

In his rallying call to the people, Najib Tun Razak said the Government would not gamble away the future of the country and would work towards becoming a developed nation.

“The Opposition only thinks about chaos. A vote for them is a vote for riots, disturbances and demonstrations,” he said during his opening speech of the 1Malaysia Veteran Recognition Programme here yesterday.

Najib Tun Razak said Barisan was united and had good leadership and experiences to bring the country forward.

“Have faith and trust in us. What Barisan promised, we will fulfil,” he said.

Najib Tun Razak

Yesterday, Najib Tun Razak also attended the wedding reception of Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek’s eldest daughter at the Bukit Kiara Sports Complex in Kuala Lumpur, Bernama reported.

Accompanied by his daughter Nooryana Najwa, Najib Tun Razak spent an hour at the wedding mingling with guests and posing for photographs with the bride and groom Nurkhalida Ahmad Shabery and Qaiyum Hasnul.

There were about 4,000 guests, including former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Cabinet ministers and deputy ministers, as well as National Sports Council director-general Datuk Zolkples Embong.

Meanwhile, Najib Tun Razak extended his deepest condolences to the families of victims killed in the Friday mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school in the United States.

“It’s a tragic incident and Malaysia stands by your side,” said the Prime Minister in his tweet.

Transformation brings progress to rural folk, says Najib

Najib Tun Razak

KUALA LIPIS, March 23 — The 21st-century development of rural areas under the concept of making available housing and economic projects is reflective of the transformation brought by the government to raise the livelihood of the rural communities to be on par with that of urban folk, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.

Najib Tun Razak said the transformation implemented by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government so far was to enable the rural communities to emerge from poverty and secure an income of RM1,000 and more a month.

“The modernisation concept has been successful whereby the landscape has changed in the rural areas, including in the Felcra, Felda and Risda plantations.

“We want the modern lifestyle in the cities to be brought to the rural areas, not just the physical development but also the comprehensive nature of 21st-century development,” he said when opening the “RimbunanKaseh” integrated community project in TanjungBesar near here.

Najib Tun Razak  said the project, an integrated community development with housing and agricultural projects for the rural people, was an ongoing effort by the government to look after the welfare of the people and alleviate poverty.

The RM37 million project was developed by IRIS Corporation Berhad with the co-operation of the state government and the State Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIP) to settle 100 poor families in the state on a 12-hectare site.

So far, 76 houses had been completed and 71 families moved them from December 1 last year while the remaining 24 houses were expected to be ready in August or September.

“The RimbunanKaseh project here is the first to be completed after a decision was made on February 21 last year. Besides being implemented in a short time, it is regarded as a model for rural development in the 21st century,” he said.

Najib Tun Razak said the success of the programme was a result of smart partnership among the federal government, state government and a private sector company in realising modernisation in a rural area.

Daim backs Najib Razak , rejects Anwar

Najib Razak

KUALA LUMPUR: Former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin says Najib Tun Razak is doing a fairly good job and should be given the mandate to lead the country and continue with his transformation policies.

Urging voters to give Najib Razak the chance for five years, the Umno veteran said: “Test him. Give him the mandate. He is doing a fairly good job. Let’s see him deliver and continue with his transformation policies.”
In an interview with the New Sunday Times, Daim indicated his preference for Najib Razak to win instead of Anwar Ibrahim whom he deemed as not the right candidate to be the prime minister.

“If you ask me, between the two, Najib Razak or Anwar, I would choose Najib. I will give Najib the chance. Give him the mandate and see whether he delivers because Anwar has had his chances, but he blew them.
“I want Najib to win because I don’t think Anwar is the right candidate to be prime minister,” he said.

“I believe he will mess up the country by getting advice from the likes of the IMF (International Monetary Fund), World Bank and Wolfowitz (Paul Wolfowitz, former World Bank president),” he said.
Daim, who served as the finance minister from 1984 to 1991 and as the special functions minister in 1998 before being reappointed as the finance minister from 1999 to 2001, said it was dangerous if an opposition under Anwar was to lead the country.

“I am worried as he does not have the depth in economy, always needed people to tell him — what to think and what to do,” he said.
So far, he said, there had not been even one significant idea from Anwar as the economic advisor to the Selangor government. Worse, he said, Selangor had badly handled its water issue, which had dismayed developers, investors and the people.

“Why doesn’t he (Anwar) become economic advisor to Kelantan and Kedah if Pakatan believes he is good? Think seriously. Think of our future,” he said.
Reshuffle the cabinet

To a question that Anwar believed that he was destined to become the next prime minister, Daim said: “Well, destiny is an act of God. You can be only one heartbeat away from that post but man proposes, God disposes. I think God still loves Malaysia.”

Daim said he would support Najib Razak but the prime minister must fight corruption and crime, strengthen the nation’s security and review the education system.
He also said that Najib should reshuffle the cabinet.

“Bring in new faces. People think he is carrying too much deadwood in the cabinet. Most are already past their use-by date,” he said.
On the chances of the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the general election, Daim, whose prognosis was interestingly followed, said BN would win but there must be unity within the coalition.“Umno has about 3.3 million members, MCA, about one million and MIC, about 600,000. That’s already about half of the voters.

“Now, you only need some support from the fence-sitters, you should then be able to win. But BN must put new and clean candidates who are acceptable to voters,” he said.

Daim said that if the BN was not united, the opposition pact would do better, as what happened in 2008.
“Stay united, be loyal and don’t sabotage. We need a steady and experienced hand. Only BN has the experience.
“We have gone through crisis after crisis, and recovered very quickly. We have to tell the Chinese that we cannot experiment. Look at Japan. Look around us. Look at Britain. Study what is happening,” he said.
Daim said Anwar had repeatedly said that there would be an Arab Spring-like demonstration should the opposition lose in the next general election because of what they deem as “cheating”.
“He (Anwar) has set the stage to justify their losses if they lose in the next general election. Pakatan is prepping the people so that they can scapegoat the government and the Election Commission.
“First, we are not an Arab country. And second, if there was rigging in previous general elections, how did Pakatan win five states in 2008?
“Arab Spring has turned out to be an Arab Fall (for the lack of a unifying leadership and the instability it has induced),” he said.

NAJIB RAZAK BARES HIS SOUL TO LISTENERS OF RADIO STATION

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has shared his personal side and unfulfilled dreams in a radio interview based on questions compiled from listeners.

The Prime Minister Najib Razak said his childhood ambition was to be an athlete but he had to shelve this dream due to his active involvement in politics at young age, upon the untimely demise of his father former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak in 1976.

Najib Razak said his plans to do the MBA also changed after that.

“I can’t imagine what I would have become if I was not a Prime Minister because I have been a politician since I was just 22,” said Najib in a pre-recorded interview aired by UFM 101.3 yesterday morning.

Najib Razak also expressed his yearning to drive his own car but was unable to do so due to police restriction.

“But I was allowed to drive from Putrajaya to Majestic Hotel with my family for dinner about two weeks ago. But it was with a police escort.”

The interview, hosted by the station’s in-house presenters Tyzo and Jimmy Shanley, kept away from politics and revolved around personal things about Najib Razak.

The questions for the two-hour morning show, based on trivia information that the public would like to know about the Prime Minister, were compiled from the station’s listeners.

UFM 101.3 is a new radio station related to the 1 Malaysia For Youth campaign, initiated by Najib Razak, and which started broadcasting recently on the 101.3MHz frequency in the Klang Valley area with the slogan Memang Beda (really different).

Najib Razak said he only slept about five to six hours daily, usually drinks a cup of hot chocolate as a nightcap, watches the news and reads books before going to bed.

Asked how many times a day he called his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Najib said whenever he had an outside programme, he would call her at least once a day.

“Wives like their husbands to call, so I have to call lah, said Najib Razak.

He also disclosed that it was Rosmah who chose his attire for the day as she was good at selecting clothes and colour schemes and that he sometimes wore jeans and sarong when at home.

Najib Razak also told listeners that he had to watch his food intake. “I like eating. So I have to control how much I eat because I will put on weight if I don’t.”

Najib Razak said he worked out at least three times a week and that was his KPI (key performance index) for himself. “I exercise whenever I am able to but I have limited time.

“I work out at a gym and have a personal trainer who puts me through a tough exercise regime,” saidNajib Razak, adding that he felt good and light after exercising.

To a question on how he managed to maintain his appearance, Najib said: “If you know how to manage stress, it will be fine,” he said.

Asked how he spends his salary, Najib Razak said it would go into buying groceries and gifts if he had weddings to attend.

On the type of programmes he watches, Najib Razazk said he preferred the History Channel and had an interest in history, the military, sports and global issues.

Najib Razak also said that he prayed daily for the country to be safe and prosperous.

Women to be ‘eyes and ears of government’, says Najib Razak

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched a women community group programme today to enable women to report crime and threats to national security.

The 1 Malaysia Perwani Community programme, which aims to set up 100,000 Perwani groups throughout Malaysia comprising 10 to 20 women each, will be linked to organisations like the Police Families Association (Perkep), the Malaysian Armed Forces Family Welfare Association (Bakat) and the Wives of Civil Servants and Women Civil Servants Association (Puspanita).

“The role of the Perwani group is to be the eyes and ears of the government in fighting crime and threats to national security,” said Najib Razak in a speech at the One Million Women Purple Walk event at Dataran Putrajaya here today.

“This can be achieved through current organisations like residents’ associations, Puspanita, Perkep, Bakat, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM), the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs), and other NGOs like women’s and single mothers’ groups,” he added.

Najib Tun Razak also stressed to the crowd of thousands of women dressed in purple that the government wanted to empower women and include them in the mainstream of the country’s development process.

“In our struggle to realise our country’s vision, women play an important role,” he said at the event celebrating International Women’s Day 2013.

Najib Tun Razak  pointed out that 30 out of 62 High Court judges are women.

Najib Razak also urged government-linked corporations to appoint at least one woman in their boards.

However, the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) latest Gender Inequality Index released last week showed that Malaysia ranked 42 out of 148 countries surveyed last year.

While Malaysia performed better than Thailand (66), the Philippines (77) and Indonesia (106), the country again trailed Singapore, which placed 13 in the chart that graded countries based on the level of women’s empowerment, their economic activity and their reproductive health.

While women make up half of Malaysia’s 13.1 million-strong registered voters, the UNDP noted that women formed only 13.2 per cent of the elected lawmakers in Parliament.

Political analysts and observers have said that women and young voters form a significant voting bloc that could decide which party wins the 13th general elections due just weeks away.

Najib Razak said today that women made up 62 per cent of university graduates.

The UNDP, however, reported last Friday that women comprised only 43.8 per cent of the Malaysian workforce, showing men still dominated the labour market.

According to the UNDP, 29 Malaysian women died from pregnancy-related problems for every 100,000 who delivered their babies safely.

The global theme for International Women’s Day this year is ending violence against women.

Domestic violence, however, has been on the rise in Malaysia for the past three years, from 3,173 cases in 2010 to 3,488 cases last year, based on police and government statistics provided by NGO Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO).

Najib Razak : Nation on track to become a high-income nation earlier than 2020

Najib Razak

KUALA LUMPUR: PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said last night the government has met the majority of its goals under the National Transformation Programme, and is on track to meet its goal of becoming a high-income nation earlier than 2020.

Announcing the results of the government’s report card for last year in the form of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and Government Transformation Plan (GTP), he said the achievements were proof of the government’s dedication to the 1Malaysia philosophy of “People First, Performance Now”.

Najib Razak described ETP and GTP as “the bravest experiment undertaken by any government in the world to practise the principles of transparency and responsibility”.
“The task to become a high-income nation by 2020 is ambitious, but attainable.
“With this transformation agenda, I am responsible for its success and am bound by its results.
“I want to help Malaysia realise its exceptional potential,” he told the audience at Auditorium Perdana at Angkasapuri.

Najib Razak  said initiatives taken to boost the living standards of low-income households had lowered the poverty rate to 1.7 per cent last year from 3.8 per cent in 2009.
The income gap narrowed to 0.431 as per the Gini coefficient ratio (a measure of inequality of income or wealth) last year, compared with 0.441 in 2009.
A lower Gini coefficient ratio equates to a more equal distribution of wealth, with “0” corresponding to complete equality.
The country’s per capita income last year, Najib Razak  said, stood at US$9,970 (RM31,131), compared with US$257 (RM802) in 1957, which is a 4,000 per cent leap in five decades.
In addition, the average household income last year stood at RM5,000, a jump from RM4,025 in 2009.
The construction of 35,000 new homes had also enabled more medium- and low-income families to own their own properties.
The efforts by the government had resulted in 99.9 per cent of households from the extreme poor category moving out of the bracket over the last three years.
“As part of our initiative to ensure that rural communities share in the country’s progress, more than 3,300km of roads have been built, more than 1.4 million homes provided with clean water and 470,000 homes enjoy round-the-clock electricity supply.”

The government’s stand on the importance of early education, he said, had seen more than 2,000 preschool classes established, leading to a more than 80 per cent pre-school enrolment last year compared with 67 per cent the previous year.Touching on the ETP, he said it had continued to meet its targets, with RM32 billion in investments secured via 39 projects last year.

“Since the ETP’s launch in 2010, private investment has grown more than three-fold, recording a 22 per cent increase in 2012.”

The ETP had since announced 149 projects, worth RM211 billion in investments, and is projected to add another RM136 billion to the gross national income and create 408,443 jobs.

Najib Razak said in line with the government’s stand on transparency, the results had been subject to review and verification by international experts on the International Performance Review Panel and auditing house PricewaterhouseCoopers Malaysia.
“What we have achieved, and failed to achieve, is on display for everyone to see.”
Najib razak  reiterated that the Barisan Nasional government was one that kept its promises.
“We place the people’s wellbeing above all else.
“That is why before promising something to the people, we study it first as to whether it will benefit the people and not burden them, whether it is temporary or for the long term.
“Secondly, we ask ourselves, is this promise something we can keep? We do not make empty promises.”

Najib Tun Razak : Govt committed to continue empowering women

Najib Tun Razak

PUTRAJAYA: The government is committed to continue empowering women in the country towards ensuring their full potential can be realised and enhanced, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Najib Razak said the government not only recognised their importance but had included them in mainstream development and in transforming the country.

“In our history… in the struggle for independence… in our struggle after independence…in our struggle to achieve the nation’s vision…women played an important role towards achieving the aspirations and goals of the country.

“That is why we are gathered here today, to trigger waves among women, so that women come forward and in turn raise the spirit, that national aspirations cannot be achieved without the empowerment of women throughout the country,” Najib Razak said when launching the 1 Million Women Purple Walk 2013, here .

Also present were the Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and wife Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim and Chief Secretary to the Government Datuk Seri Dr Ali Hamsa.

The Prime Minister  Najib Razak said that as a result of the government’s efforts over the years, many successes had been achieved by women, for example in the field of education.

“In higher education centres, why is that 62 per cent of the enrolment comprise female students … this is due to their having the qualifications, “he said.
Najib Razak also said that the government would continue with its policy of having 30 per cent of women employed at the decision-making level.

“Now 30 of the 62 High Court judges are women, of the secretaries-general in ministries, seven of them are women with the latest being in the Ministry of Health,” he said.

Najib also said he wanted government-linked companies (GLCs) and government-linked investment companies (GLICs) appoint at least one woman or more to their boards.

“The national transformation policy will not be achieved if women are not given equal opportunities, not empowered and included in the mainstream, not only at the highest level but also at the grassroots,” he said.

Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan launched the state level 1Million Women Purple Walk 2013 with almost 10,000 in attendance in the Sports and Youth Complex in Paroi. — Bernama