Najib's Recognition Spurs Malaysian Professionals In Makkah

From Noor Hammad Wariman

MAKKAH, Dec 24 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's visit to Saudi Arabia has not only boosted the Kuala Lumpur-Riyadh ties but also catalysed Malaysian professionals to seek bigger opportunities.

The government's aspiration in turning Malaysia into a thriving, modern and progressive Islamic country, but firmly rooted in Islam proved successful and helped galvanise Malaysians' confidence in facing the world.

"They are driven to look for opportunities in the international arena, and have not felt awkward or pressured to compete with others," the prime minister told Malaysian journalists at the end of his visit about Malaysian diasporas.

Najib's visit further strengthened the ties which were evident from the recognition of Malaysian expertise in the construction of gigantic projects in Makkah and Madinah.

In a meeting with Malaysians at D'Saji Restaurant in Makkah on Monday, he expressed his appreciation to Malaysian professionals for their participation in mammoth projects such as the Grand Mosque (Masjidil Haram) expansion and Royal Hotel Clock Tower or Abraj Al-Bait Towers - a testimony of Malaysian expertise.

"Hence, if we continue to remain together, cooperate and unite as Muslims, definitely we will scale greater heights," he said.

It is his fervent hope that Malaysians coming to Saudi Arabia whether to conduct business or perform the haj pilgrimage or umrah would protect the good name and image of the country so that they are welcome with open arms.

Likewise, Malaysians should also be behave themselves in other countries, he added.

In his four-day working visit since Saturday, Najib and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, performed the umrah and surveyed the Royal Hotel Clock Tower from where he viewed the Makkah panorama.

Meanwhile, Mohd Rus Abbas, a cost consultant for the Grand Mosque expansion project, said as a small ambassador of Malaysia, he was proud of the prime minister's appreciation of their contribution and described it as a great honour even though it was encapsulated in one speech.

"We are overwhelmed and thank the prime minister for his willingness to see us even though for just an hour or two. But it was enough for us," he said, adding that 30 Malaysian professionals were involved in construction, consulting, hospitality and telecommunication projects in Saudi Arabia.

Even though small in number, Malaysians are a close-knit community here, he added.

Mohd Rus said he was involved in the Grand Mosque expansion project since two years ago and currently was working on Mataf (area around the kaabah) expansion, which was divided into three phases, to accommodate worshippers up to 120,000 from 45,000 by 2015.

When the project is completed in 2020, Muslims can pray under the shade of 500 giant umbrellas outside the mosque like the Nabawi Mosque in Madinah where 250 collapsible umbrellas were installed.

Zulkifli Sulaiman, a senior supervisor for the Royal Hotel Clock Tower project, said 16 Malaysians were involved in the project which was 98 per cent completed.

At a height of 602 meters, it is the highest and largest clock tower in the world, surpassing other renowned clock towers such as the Palace of Culture and Science (Warsaw, Poland), Big Ben (London), and Ann-Bradley Clock Tower (Milwaukee, the United States).

Among its outstanding features are the Royal Clock is visible from 17km away at night and 12km during the day, and two mil-lion LED lights illuminate when the call of the muezzin for daily prayers resonates.

Beaming with pride over Malaysians involvement in building Makkah's landmarks and history, Zulkifli said he and his colleagues were involved in installing solid but light metal structure of the clock.

"It was a daunting task as we have to endure unpredictable weather and strong wind," he added.