‘Verify news by Opposition’
> Inaccurate info spread against govt may cause voters to make wrong decision: PM
PEKAN: Malaysians must check news spread by the Opposition, especially with the 14th general election (GE14) approaching, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
He said if the people were deceived by the Opposition’s propaganda, the country’s future would be affected if they make the wrong choice in the elections.
“In a dynamic political environment people are exposed to changes and they may make their decisions based on inaccurate information. The vulnerability of the people can adversely affect the government,” he said when opening Pekan Umno’s divisional and wing meetings yesterday.
Also present were the division deputy chief Datuk Abu Bakar Harun, Youth chief Datuk Shahruddin Ahmad and Puteri chief Malia Irdawatie Khairuddin.
Najib, who is also Pekan MP, said the Opposition had also spread false news during GE13 on the Lynas rare earth plant and the presence of 40,000 Bangladeshi phantom voters, Bernama reported.
“We see that most of the news spread by the Opposition are not based on facts as some were churned out to confuse and anger the people.
“The issue over the Lynas plant was a hot topic before GE13 and the Opposition claimed it was like a nuclear plant and residents would be exposed to high radiation levels,” he said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that the radiation level inside the plant was much lower than that of Kuantan town, he added.
“Do not be swayed by their claims that if Umno and Barisan Nasional are defeated, things will get better, when they are not united on many things.
“Their symbols and manifestos are almost the same but how can they succeed if they are not fighting for the same cause? I do not think they will succeed as they are just trying to topple BN and Umno.
“In Islam, we are also reminded to be cautious of news spread by depraved minds to avoid slander and making bad assumptions.”
Najib urged Umno members and leaders to continue to adhere to the Islamic concept of “wala” (loyalty) to the leader for the sake of the party’s integrity and unity in facing the general election.
“We must understand that as a political party, we have a relationship between a leader and its members. At the Umno assembly last year, I had described at length the concept of loyalty to the leader.
“If we have a relationship of loyalty and obedience, our party will be stronger but if we always have doubts about any decision made by the party, more so if the decision is not in our favour, we will find ways to dispute it.