‘DON’T GAMBLE WITH COUNTRY’S FUTURE’
Don’t let personal sentiments cloud your judgment, Umno Info chief tells people
UMNO Information chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa has urged Malaysians not to gamble with the country’s future out of sympathy for a certain political personality.
“The important issue is the nation’s future. This leader must realise that he cannot gamble with it merely because of his personal interests,” he said at a talk on current issues in Padang Sera here on Friday.
Annuar said the action of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in trying to disrupt national harmony was difficult for people to accept.
“We cannot gamble with the country’s future just because of our personal sentiments towards certain leaders. The people, including myself, were undivided in our support for Dr Mahathir when he was the prime minister, but enough, give space to (Prime Minister) Datuk Seri Najib Razak to administer the country and preserve the harmony through Umno.”
He said Umno had been through trials and tribulations, but it was firm and continued to protect race, religion and country. He hoped Dr Mahathir would come to his senses and return to the fold.
“I know deep in his heart he still loves Umno. Let’s pray he returns to Umno.”
In addressing a crowd of Umno members here on Friday evening, Annuar said the Malays should decide wisely to retain power through Umno, the pillar of the Barisan Nasional-led government, or risk losing power to the DAP-led opposition pact.
“Since independence, the Malays, as the majority community in the country, have been ruling the government through Umno. Through our partnership with other races in BN, we have built a track record in developing the country and defending the interests of the Malays and Islam, while, at the same time, looking after other ethnic minorities. “This is in line with fardu kifayah as per Islamic teachings, which urges Muslims to govern a country, in which they form the majority, while acknowledging the rights of non-Muslims.”
However, Annuar stressed that the Malays risked losing power if they were carried away with sentimental fondness for certain personality who had since formed a pact with DAP.
He said DAP was only riding on Malay-based parties such as Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) and Parti Amanah Negara (PAN) to consolidate its power.
“The 14th General Election will be a battle between pro-rakyat BN and pro-DAP Pakatan because the other parties in Pakatan will be depending on DAP’s popularity to win votes.
“DAP is using these parties to consolidate its power from its current 39 parliamentary seats to between 50 and 60 seats.
“With the biggest number of seats, DAP will be calling the shots should Pakatan win the next general election. Even if it appoints a Malay as the prime minister, the Malays will still lose their political power.”
On another matter, Annuar said the government would defend its decision to implement subsidy rationalisation and the restructuring of the consumption tax as the move would bring longterm benefits to the country.
He said as a responsible government, BN decided to face the risk of being unpopular in the short term so that the country would benefit in the future.
Annuar stressed the government could have averted compromising on its popularity by not rolling out the two bold initiatives but that would expose the country’s economy to an imminent crisis in the long run.