Political stability vital for country's progress - Salleh
KOTA BELUD, March 16 (Bernama) -- Political stability is an important prerequisite for a nation to continue to develop and remain competitive, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak.
He said political stability would enable a country to remain peaceful and harmonious and allow the ruling government to focus on planning and implementing various policies including agricultural development in the interests of all the people.
"Some countries do not have many of the facilities that we have in ours because they do not have short- and long-term plans to address problems in the agricultural sector.
"But, Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God), in Malaysia, we plan everything well. We are able to do this because our economic position is strong. If the government does not have enough funds, if the government does not plan and manage its finances well, we will not have funds to help our people," he said.
Salleh, who is also the UMNO treasurer, spoke at the handing over of aid from the Paddy Disaster Fund, totalling RM730,429, to 366 paddy farmers who were affected by the floods in Kota Belud in October last year.
Nevertheless, Salleh said, Malaysians were fortunate that the country's economy was well managed, and the data and all indicators proved that the country's economic management was on the right track.
He called on all levels of society to always provide undivided support to all the government efforts so as to allow for the continuation of the ongoing development agenda.
Salleh said it was not wrong to have differing political views in a democratic country like Malaysia but all quarters should be united in helping the people and developing the country.
No nation in the world will be able to develop its people if the country is not peaceful. The key factor is stability, he said.
-- BERNAMA
