PETALING JAYA, Sept 23 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today that national unity was critical for the country to achieve its goal to be a developed country by 2020.

This comes as the country’s national discourse continues to be marred by racial and religious debates.

Najib (picture) said that maintaining acceptance, moderation and harmony was “possibly the most crucial” factor for Malaysia to be a high income nation by 2020.

“For that (economic) progress to continue we must ensure that moderation, tolerance and respect for others forms the basis of our national creed,” said Najib at the National Conference on Making A High Income Nation A Reality here.

He added that the “Malaysian spirit” has been “invigorated” by his recent moves to enhance the country’s democratic environment by repealing oppressive laws such as the ISA.

The prime minister also said that while Malaysia had weathered the global economic crisis relatively well, he noted that there were persistant fiscal and economic problems in the US and EU and the country’s ability to thrive would depend on a “benign external environment.”

The Najib administration has set a goal of making Malaysia a high-income nation with a per capita GNI of US$15,000 (RM47,250) by growing at a rate of 6 per cent per annum.