(April 28): Faced with continued calls for his resignation, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak tonight declared he will never back down or surrender, and stressed that his government was transparent.

In his speech during the launch of the Performance and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) Annual Report at Angkasapuri in Kuala Lumpur, Najib said that he was aware of the mounting criticism against him, but added that he would not be alone as long as his "noble goals" remained alive.

"Even though we are pressured and criticised, as a transparent government, I, as the prime minister, with deputy prime minister and the ministers as well as my colleagues in the administration, will not budge or surrender, but will instead remain steadfast and continue to fight, and carve a million new pathways for the sake of the rakyat and the country." he said.

Najib's remarks come amidst calls by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has asked for his resignation over scandals involving government-owned 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), for continuing the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) and also over the murder of a Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu.

In his speech tonight, Najib drew on Greek philosophers, Muslim scholar Imam Ghazali, Mahatma Gandhi, John F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King whom he said had warned that those who fought for the right cause would face a variety of challenges.

He said that famed Indonesian novelist Hamka, or Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, had advised that it was always better to stand and fight rather than give up and go home, no matter how high the odds were stacked against them.

"Hence, as long as our noble goals remain alive, we are not alone, we have not lost our way. Let us come together with the same fighting spirit? and move forward, towards a more developed Malaysia that is revered by the entire world.”

He also urged Malaysians to "think maturely" and not be overcome with emotion when judging the government and its "noble efforts".

Najib said that no words could describe how important it was for everyone to be magnanimous (berjiwa besar) in their fight to develop the country.

"Because of that, I urge for everyone to avoid all the conflict (sengketa) and find a point of similarity (titik persamaan), for the sake of peace in Malaysia.

"Believe me, when the truth shines out and reveals itself, all insults and imputation will disappear."

Recently, Dr Mahathir took his criticism of Najib up a notch, going beyond telling him to resign and asking the Malay ruling party, Umno, of which Najib is president, to remove him instead or risk losing the next general election. – The Malaysian Insider