Najib said today that he was offended by such claims, saying that it was a downright “big lie”.
He maintained that the 1 Malaysia concept was introduced shortly after he became prime minister in 2009.
“The 1 Malaysia concept was not copied from another country. It is my own creation. Other countries may have a one this and a one that but nowhere in this world is there a 1 Malaysia: People First, Performance Now,” he said when opening the Cuepacs triennial convention here.
In an apparent attack on PR, Najib said his government’s policies were realistic in nature and not a “dream”.
“It is very easy for us to make a political promise, but will that something based on the most populist approach be beneficial to us or otherwise?” he asked.
PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been telling political rallies nationwide that the policies under 1 Malaysia are the exact copy of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s 1 Israel.
Anwar has maintained that he has proof of public relations consultancy firm APCO Worldwide’s link to One Israel, but claimed that he was not given a chance to explain his arguments in Parliament last week.
Last week in the Dewan Rakyat, the PKR politician had called APCO “untouchable,” and blamed the firm for the suspension of four MPs including himself last Thursday in Parliament.
Anwar also accused APCO of lying to Parliament’s Rights and Privileges Committee in its letter to the panel.
Anwar was suspended from Parliament amid loud protests and a walkout by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs who called the Dewan Rakyat a kangaroo court.
The suspension was over his claim earlier this year that APCO, hired by the Najib administration, had been behind both the 1 Malaysia and One Israel concepts.
A separate suspension motion also cited three other PR lawmakers for contempt, for revealing and discussing the proceedings of the Rights and Privileges Committee on Anwar’s APCO claims.
Najib also said today that his administration was committed to steering the country towards becoming a high-income nation, but at the same time pointing out that the government could not afford to be spendthrift in its budget.
“We cannot afford to be spendthrift, we have to spend according to our capability. What is important is that the country’s future is guaranteed under the present government.
“We will do what we can, but if we spend way beyond our means then it might end up becoming a problem,” said the prime minister.
Najib, who is finance minister, claimed that there were negative implications if the country were to spend way beyond its means, saying that Malaysia’s sovereignty could be in jeopardy as a result of careless spending.
