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Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said that women and youth are essentially beacons of hope in the Muslim world as they have the greatest potential to contribute constructively to the advancement of the Muslim world. He said women, who by their very nature were inherently well-organized, and the youth, who possess innovative thoughts, were crucial for the development of the Muslim world. “They have always been the determining factors behind the success of civilizations,” he said in his joint opening keynote address at the World Islamic Economic Forum’s (WIEF) Businesswomen Forum and WIFE’s Young Leaders’ Forum at the Putra World Trade Centre here, Bernama reported.
Najib stressed that the successful cultivation of these two groups have been the main reason why civilizations continue to sustain and reinvent themselves, build a strong and solid foundation for a healthy society. As such, he said, the lack of attention towards these two groups had been the main reason for the breakdown of society in the past, as well as the present as could be seen now in certain societies in the Muslim world. Unfortunately, in some societies in the Muslim world, scant attention is given to the women and youth, a worrying trend that can prove and has already proven detrimental to the development of Muslim societies all over the world,” he said.
Najib also stressed the importance of small-and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in the development of an economy. He said a recent Forbes report had concluded that SMEs constitute a major component of a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“Coupled with the nature of women as trustworthy and credit-worthy entrepreneurs, a special focus on SMEs will certainly be a big boost for the development of these enterprises in the Muslim world,” he added. Themed “Nurturing our Best Resources the Women and the Youth of the Muslim World” one-day forum is being attended by participants from Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Morocco, Pakistan, Uganda and Britain. The WIEF Businesswomen Forum and WIEF Young Leaders Forum are held as a prelude to the Third World Islamic Economic Forum which starts here tomorrow. (Courtesy HA/ IINA)
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