Najib calls on Permatang Pauh folk to make ‘U-turn’ back to BN
Development in constituency has stalled since PKR won seat, Najib tells residents
PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has invited the people of Permatang Pauh to embrace a new chapter in their lives by making a “U-turn” and choose Barisan Nasional in the coming general election.
Najib said Permatang Pauh had enjoyed rapid development between 1969 and 1999, when it was a Barisan Nasional stronghold.
However, he said it was “as if time had stood still” since then.
“I urge you to consider what we mean when we say that after a long time, development in Permatang Pauh has stalled.
“It is as if time had stood still and there have not been many changes in Permatang Pauh.
“We do not know what is the role of the member of parliament here. We are in politics not to become a symbol.
“We want elected representatives who can work for us to make our lives better and more comfortable,” he told a crowd of 22,000 who had joined him at Politeknik Seberang Prai here yesterday for a luncheon.
Najib said BN had only lost the Permatang Pauh seat once in 1978 before the shift in political landscape there in 1999.
He said the reformasi movement in 1999, which precipitated the political shift, had disappeared after former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad joined the opposition.
“If he (Dr Mahathir) can make a U-turn and be accepted by the opposition, then the residents of Permatang Pauh also need to make a U-turn in the next general election.
Najib also took a shot at Dr Mahathir making U-turns in politics.
“My late father used to say that in politics, we must have sincerity. You cannot say something today but do something else the next day. You make a stand but 18 years later, you make a U-turn. I want to ask all of you, who made this U-turn?
“I do not want to mention names, but I am sure you know who. You see, when you make a lot of U-turns, chairs fly. Luckily, there are no chairs here today (yesterday),” he said, referring to the Nothing to Hide 2.0 forum fracas in Shah Alam on Sunday.
Najib said BN had remained steadfast and never given up on Permatang Pauh despite losing it to the opposition.
“Many Permatang Pauh people have asked BN leaders for help, knowing they can deliver. Although the people here did not choose BN, I am very proud to say Umno and BN have never cut ties with them, and have continued to help the people.
“I have even approved allocations for Permatang Pauh in the past when asked by the Umno division chairman.”
He said the Federal Government had promised to build a Mass Rapid Transit and fulfilled that promise faster than scheduled and at a lower cost.
As for Penang, he said while the state government had promised to build an undersea tunnel, the project had yet to materialise despite the state paying millions in consultation fees.
“They also promised there would not be flash floods, but there had been four since.”
Najib said the people of Permatang Pauh were at the losing end by putting PKR in power.
“It’s time for us to close this book and open a new chapter. It’s time to stop playing political dramas. The people of Permatang Pauh are smart and have realised that they need to look after their own interests,” he added.
Earlier, during his meeting with state BN leaders, the BN chairman said he wanted state BN leaders to try to wrest Penang from Pakatan Harapan in GE14.
“The prime minister wants us to work even harder. He told us to get ready and to try to win back the state,” state Barisan Nasional secretary Datuk Omar Faudzar told the New Straits Times after the closed-door meeting.
State Gerakan deputy chairman Oh Tong Keong said Najib had asked them to continue going down to the ground to serve the people.
The people of Permatang Pauh are smart and have realised that they need to look after their own interests. DATUK SERI NAJIB RAZAK
Page 1 pic: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak riding pillion on a scooter with Permatang Pauh Umno division chief Datuk Mohd Zaidi Mohd Said at Politeknik Seberang Prai yesterday.