The government is ready to give power to universities to make own decisions as an effort to empower institutions of higher education.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said by giving the power to the universities, they could make their own decisions without having to refer to a ‘central agency’, hence help producing more human capital to spur the country’s competitiveness.

“This is the government’s aspiration and, at the same time, I also hope to continue establishing a good relationship with the students,” he said at the breaking-fast event with students of public universities, private institutions of higher education and teachers training institutes in Putrajaya last night.

In his speech which lasted 20 minutes, the prime minister also reminded the students not to fall easily for the news they found in social media.

“Please have faith in what the government is doing. Don’t simply believe what you read in social media. (Being) popular does not necessarily guarantee the accuracy of the news,” he said.

Najib stressed that not all the reports in the social media were authentic because some of them only tell half the truth, while some others were merely opinions of the writers.

“I hope all of you (students) will be able to do self-screening and judge for yourselves the contents of the reports with a rational mind,” he said.

Meanwhile, the prime minister also urged Muslims in the country to appreciate the prosperity and peace they had enjoyed so far, which had enabled them to observe fast in such a peaceful and comfortable environment.

He said such a ‘blessed’ environment was a result of the government’s policies, including making Islam the official religion of the federal and running the country in accordance with the principles and tenets of Islam.

- Bernama