In a report by the Malay Mail, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony of the International Tourism Gateway yesterday (16th April).
During the ceremony, the Prime Minister stated that Barisan Nasional (BN) will continue to make progress and positive change in Malaysia in order to make the country stand out positively on the world stage.
“The change that we want is not small. We want to take great strides in building success because we want Malaysia to continue to be respected by the outside world.”
He also mentioned that Malaysia gained recognition by highly influential international bodies such as the World Economic Forum and the University of Pennsylvania, USA, which listed Malaysia as one of the top places to invest in.
He then went on to say,
“We also got respect from the President of North Korea, Kim Jong-un after successfully solving a diplomatic crisis and bringing home nine of our citizens who were stranded in the country.”
Earlier in March, North Korea and Malaysia faced a diplomatic crisis in light of Kim Jong-nam’s murder in Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA 2).
During the murder investigation, Pyongyang banned Malaysians from leaving North Korea, leading Malaysia to ban North Koreans from leaving the country as well.
This resulted in a tense diplomatic situation, which was resolved after negotiations. The nine Malaysians who were in North Korea during this time, finally returned home safely on the 31st of March.
Also read: Malaysia And North Korea Are Banning Each Other’s People From Leaving The Country