PM: We’ve delivered!
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says it again – ‘Barisan Nasional has kept its promises to the people’ and as proof of pudding, the Prime Minister vows to be fair to all civil servants by extending the religious obligation privilege of seven days’ unrecorded l
PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is seeking a new mandate from the people, saying that his Government has delivered on its promises to Malaysia.
“We’ve delivered and we stand by our track record of the past five years. Even before that, we delivered.
“If you look at the hard facts, we’ve always delivered. You cannot deny that,” Bernama quoted Najib as saying in a briefing to editors here yesterday.
He also said that his administration had managed the country’s economy well in the face of global challenges arising from the US subprime mortgage crisis and the drop in world oil prices.
The Prime Minister said the ringgit, currently at RM3.86 to the US dollar, was strengthening based on market sentiments and fundamentals, not something artificial as was the case during the administration of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
As such, he said, Barisan wanted to focus on the future agenda of the country to ensure that Malaysia stayed ahead of other countries.
“That’s why I want a fresh mandate from the people,” he said, stressing that a strong victory is needed to intensify Malaysia’s performance under Barisan.
On the coalition’s manifesto to be launched on Saturday, Najib said the main message would be to invite the people to be with Barisan in its agenda to “Make Malaysia Great”, adding that there would be 14 points.
Touching on the attacks by the Opposition, including Dr Mahathir, in the run-up to this general election, Najib said, “Mahathir’s style is to go to the extreme.
“What did he not say about (Datuk Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim) then? Also about Pak Lah (Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi)? Now he is doing the same to me, same modus operandi.
“To me, he’s teaching the wrong values in society,” he said, adding that levelling criticism was alright but slander was unethical.
Najib noted that most attacks against him by Dr Mahathir were wildly exaggerated, including on issues such as 1MDB.
The Prime Minister also acknowledged the role and influence of social media on voters in this election, saying it is a platform that could sway voters.
Najib added that he expected the Opposition to continue poisoning the minds of the people by claiming that Barisan would cheat to win.
He said the election system remained the same and in fact was more transparent than before.
“There’s no way for us to cheat. At polling centres, the Opposition’s polling agents are also there.
“If there are 40,000 Bangladeshi voters, there is no way they will miss that,” he said, referring to the fake news on phantom voters that was spread widely during GE13.
According to him, the Opposition deliberately circulated the fake news to smear Barisan.
On Barisan’s candidates, Najib admitted that it was not an easy task to pick suitable candidates because someone who was popular in the party might not be popular with voters and vice versa.
In MIRI later, Najib said he knows that he can count on Sarawakians and Sabahans to deliver the goods and help return Barisan to power in Putrajaya.
“The day is coming very soon when we will decide our future.
“Sarawak and Sabah have always been close to my heart.
“Sarawak is my model of 1Malaysia,” he said, adding that he had always shown how much he cared for Sarawak during his years as PM.
Speaking at the close of a leadership seminar for 1,500 community leaders here, Najib said the Barisan manifesto to be unveiled on Saturday would give special emphasis to Sarawak and Sabah.
Najib also wants Barisan to recapture Miri.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg and other state Barisan leaders also attended the event.
Najib is on a two-day working visit to northern Sarawak and will also visit Baram, Bakun and Sibuti.