Len confident PBB will retain all 14 seats

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SPIRIT OF TOGETHERNESS: Len and Abdullah (seated fifth and sixth left respectively) and other PBB grassroots leaders shout the 1Malaysia slogan after the briefing.

SPIRIT OF TOGETHERNESS: Len and Abdullah (seated fifth and sixth left respectively) and other PBB grassroots leaders shout the 1Malaysia slogan after the briefing.

SARIKEI: While the state Barisan Nasional (BN) has every reason to expect a better result in the coming 13th general election than in the previous polls, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), the backbone of state BN, is confident of repeating its success by retaining all the 14 seats allocated to it.

Belawai assemblyman Datu Len Talif Salleh, who is also Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Promotion of Technical Education) expressed this optimism when briefing PBB Tanjung Manis election committee members at Sri Nyelong here on Wednesday afternoon.

He said his confidence was based on the unwavering support and unity of party members throughout the last five decades.

“During the past 50 years the party faced numerous internal conflicts, problems and challenges but all were successfully overcome through the true spirit of camaraderie among its members, no matter how serious the problems appeared to be,” he said.

With such advantage, he said PBB would utilise its strength to help candidates from other component parties to win their seats, adding that BN itself had an excellent and convincing record of winning the trust and confidence of voters.

He said in the past few years the people had been able to enjoy various benefits under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, citing the distribution of the second 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M 2.0) as one example of the numerous promises fulfilled by the government.

With that in mind, he called on the people to vote wisely as their votes would determine which parties would form the next government.

Chief political secretary to the chief minister Abdullah Saidol, one of the speakers for the one-day event, said all BN component parties would close ranks to ensure a resounding victory in the election.

“All the four BN component parties will work as a team and nothing less. Other than its four component parties, BN does not recognise any party claiming to be BN-friendly,” he stressed, referring to the statement issued by the BN secretary-general recently.

While anticipating an uphill task for Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) to defend the five seats it currently held, Abdullah believed they could be won through the spirit of camaraderie in BN.

On the transformation programmes introduced by the prime minister, he said they had been well accepted by the majority of Malaysians.

“I hope the show of appreciation for the prime minister’s transformation plan would be translated into votes by Malaysians in the coming election,” he added.