KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak has called on students living and studying abroad to work hard to ensure the country succeeds. “As junior ambassadors, Malaysians, especially students and officers at embassies must portray the nation's success and uniqueness abroad. “I hope you will study hard and manage yourselves well in order to contribute towards Malaysia's success,” he said during a simultaneous video conference with students and embassies in five different countries on Monday. The 45-minute conference was in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri and covered Jakarta (Indonesia), Canberra (Australia), London (United Kingdom), Beijing (China) and Tokyo (Japan), the Bernama news agency reported. Among those who joined the conference call were his wife, Rosmah Mansor, Information Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim and wife Maznah Rais, and Foreign Affairs deputy ministers Senators Kohilan Pillai and Richard Riot. The PM added that Malaysia was increasingly being recognized as “a successful country globally” and achieved 5.4 percent growth in the second quarter of this year. “This is an achievement which goes against the uncertainty of the global economy. It also proves that if Malaysians fully support the country's transformation agenda in their own way, we can achieve a high growth rate,” he said. “We hope to produce more regional and global corporate champions such as the recent extraordinarily successful IPO listing of Ventures Holdings Bhd and IHH Healthcare Berhad,” he continued. He added that the Eid el-Fitr open house at Seri Perdana on Monday showed that Malaysia was a unique country. “An open house like this shows we not only open our houses but also our hearts to welcome the multi-racial guests here,” he said. Meanwhile, Mansor advised the students to study hard and return home to serve Malaysia. “As a mother, I urge you to phone your parents and seek forgiveness even though you're not able to celebrate Aidilfitri here. Your parents will be happy to receive your love and respect,” she said. “All the best in your studies and don't forget to come home,” she concluded.
