Najib: Chinese strength needed

‘It will be a sad day if they are absent from the Cabinet’

KUALA LUMPUR: There is a need for a strong Chinese representation in the government and it will be a sad day if the Chinese are absent from the Cabinet.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that if Barisan Nasional’s Chinese candidates were rejected and the people voted for someone else, then Barisan would not be able to appoint Chinese leaders into the Cabinet.

“If we eliminate Chinese leaders, it will weaken their representation in the government,” the Barisan chairman told a special press conference here yesterday.

Najib said, however, that if Barisan manages to get the majority of its representatives into Parliament to form the government, he would choose representatives from the Chinese community.

He advised Chinese voters not to repeat the mistake they made in the last general election.

“This time around, better go with Barisan. Look at the stability, growing economy, more business oppor tunities, more financial assistance and micro credit with Barisan.

“The other side? I don’t think we can see that, I don’t think they can deliver the same thing,” he added.

Najib also reminded the people against being influenced by the “tsunami” of defamation tactics of the Opposition.

The Prime Minister said the Opposition did not have a major agenda for the people except to topple him and the Barisan government.

Najib showed reporters a doctored photograph of himself with, among others, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and Khazanah Nasional Bhd managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar viewing a model of the Taman Tugu project.

He said the photograph had been doctored to show him looking at and counting the money on a table.

“Do not be taken in by such news or photographs on social media because they (the Opposition) will resort to as much defamation as they can,” he said.

“We have to choose the best agenda for the country and the people. If you use this (defamation), it means you have already considered the fact that your agenda for this country is inferior, it cannot do better than the Barisan agenda. You are pretty desperate to get involved in gutter politics,” he said.

Asked what could be done against those who committed such defamation, Najib said: “We can take action, but then they will accuse us of using excessive powers.”

He said the people should also make a choice taking into account what happened after the last elections.

“The DAPled government in Penang and PKR in Selangor, after ruling for 10 years, have failed to fulfil their promises and hopes for the people,” he said.

The Prime Minister said he was optimistic that Barisan would get the people’s mandate in GE14.

He said Barisan’s victory would retain a strong and stable government, and bring confidence, especially in the economic sector.

“It will create more confidence and the global market will respond very positively,” he said.

Asked if there would be a Malay tsunami, Najib said: “In the last election, they came up with the slogan ‘ Ini kalilah’ (This is the time to change). We do not want the voters to be deceived once again; they have been cheated many times. Every time the elections come, they will come up with a slogan.

“This election is not only about slogans, it’s about the agenda, focusing on what the agenda is for the people,” he said, adding that the PAS campaign was conducted in a more responsible manner.