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MELBOURNE, March 4 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who was today conferred with a Doctor of Letters of Law Honoris Causa by Australia’s renowned academic institution Monash University, said education would continue to be the most important area of co-operation between Malaysia and Australia.

“The early interactions between Malaysian students and their Australian counterparts have contributed to the strong people-to-people relations, leading to close bilateral relations between two countries,” he said in his acceptance speech when receiving the special honour at the university here.

Najib, who received the conferment on the last day of his three-day official visit to Australia, pointed out that education had always been and would remain an important aspect in the development of human capital in order for a nation to move forward.

“While we strive to improve our education system, we will continue to depend on foreign universities to send our students for knowledge and learning and Australia will remain one of the top destinations,” he said.

Najib said through education, it would create model citizenry.

“The inculcation of the values and virtues of moderation — understanding, tolerance, acceptance — will surely help create future generations who choose constructive dialogue in all spheres of activity,” he said.

Najib in his speech also touched on “1 Malaysia : People First, Performance Now” concept which was about Malaysians living together in harmony, about how its people with different cultural and religious backgrounds could find a common ground to build upon.

“It is about inculcating the best values to create a modern progressive society. The fundamental principle is moderation which has not only ensured unity, but also allowed political stability, sustainability and economic activity in Malaysia,” he said. — Bernama