London, Oct 31 -The overwhelming acceptance of the 9th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) at the global level has gained recognition as the most successfully staged forum, Datuk Seri Najib Run Razak said today.
Describing the staging of the MIEF here as the most successful, the prime minister said he was confident and believed that the future of WIEF as a forum was very bright and very encouraging.
“With the participation at this magnitude and at the highest level, WIEF’s image has attained a level and a success rate that can be regarded as a formidable brand currently,” he told Malaysian journalists on the last day of the three-day MIEF, the first to be held outside Islamic countries.
The 10th edition will be held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, next year.
Najib, who is also the patron of the WIEF Foundation, said the Ninth WIEF has achieved a success beyond expectation, with the attendance of heads of state and government and 18 deputy heads of government, 50 ministers and 2,700 delegates from 120 countries.
Najib said tne forum’s impressive success was not because it was held in a non-Islamic nation but due to several factors.
“They are the combination of the MIEF as an established stage and a forum and besides London being the world’s financial hub also has its own attraction.
“That’s the reason why we see the forum as a success,” said Najib, who is also the Finance Minister.
Najib said the 10th edition in Dubai next year will surely portray its own “charm and attraction” as Dubai is also an international trade and financial centre.
He said WIEF’s founding objective as a forum to forge cooperation in the economic, business, trade and investment among Islamic nations and non-Islamic countries has also gained good acceptance.
The announcement by the United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron on the United Kingdom government emerging as the first non-Islamic nation to issue a sukuk (Islamic bond) to the tune of 200 million pounds sterling reflected the acceptance of the financial instrument that was Shariah and Islamic principles-based has been well received as something that is indeed beneficial not only to the Islamic world but also to non-Islamic countries, he said.
“I see that by participating in the WIEF, Islamic banking and financing and also Islamic model that stresses on social justice have been increasingly gaining recognition and appreciation in the world,” he added.
Meanwhile, Najib said 10 agreements and memorandums of understanding worth US$705 million (about RM2.226 billion) were signed on the sidelines of the forum.
The signing of the agreements and MoUs showed the Malaysian corporate bodies, including government-linked companies and the private sector, have gained significant impact, with the value of their property ownership increasing multi-fold, he added.
Najib, who arrived here on Oct 27 to attend the WIEF, will leave for Kuala Lumpur this evening.
– Bernama
