THE government will make a 16ha plot of land available in Putrajaya for the King Salman Centre for International Peace (KSCIP), said Prime Minister Najib Razak.

According to Bernama, Najib said this had been agreed with assistants to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed Salman visiting him at his official residence in Putrajaya last night.

“The construction of KSCIP in Putrajaya reflects the importance of the institution, and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and I will launch the centre,” Najib said.

“King Salman could have chosen any other country to build the centre, but the custodian of the two holy mosques chose Malaysia,” he said at an Aidilfitri open house hosted in Pekan today.

The KSCIP currently operates from Kuala Lumpur, while the government has been given two years to build the new centre.

Meanwhile, Najib asked Malaysians not to be angry or critical about what the government has done for the country, because it was only for their wellbeing.

“What we have accomplished has earned praise and recognition from other countries, such as Saudi Arabia,” said Najib.

Malaysia’s relationship with Saudi Arabia has improved during the Najib administration.

In April 2016, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said in Istanbul that the kingdom had deposited RM2.6 billion into Najib’s bank account. Adel said it was a donation from Saudi Arabia.

“That’s why it’s not true when the opposition says that the country is a failed state and needs to be saved. In fact, we have been safe and successful, as well as commended by foreign countries,” Najib said.

“For those who say that the country needs to be saved… even our former leaders never received such acclaim from Saudi Arabia, so there is no need to save Malaysia,” he said.

On Saturday’s meeting, Najib confirmed that the additional Haj quota given by the Saudi Arabian government to Malaysia would be maintained, and talks on the construction of two Tabung Haji complexes in Mecca and Medina were underway.

Najib said that the government had spent RM3 billion on five Aidilfitri aid packages throughout the month of Ramadan, benefiting 9.6 million people. – June 9, 2017.