PEKAN: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has expressed his hope that the 13th general election process throughout the country runs smoothly to enable the people to exercise their right as voters.
The prime minister and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who cast their ballot at Sekolah Menengah Sains Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, Pekan, Pahang, said the voting process in his constituency went well without any hindrance to voters.
“I hope this situation can be felt in other places,” he told reporters after casting his ballot at 9.15 am.
Calling on voters to cast their ballot early, Najib, who is defending the Pekan parliamentary seat, said he would visit several polling stations in his constituency before leaving for Selangor to witness the voting process there.
Asked whether he was satisfied with the improvement to the electoral system, he said: “There is no reason why he is not satisfied because we had gone through a very lengthy process involving many quarters, including the opposition.”
He said as the use indelible ink proposed by the opposition was also implemented in the electoral process, the credibility of the 13th general election should not be questioned by any quarters.
“In addition, the presence of local and foreign observers proves that the transparency of the electoral process, and it should not be disputed by anyone unless those who try to make it an issue,” he said.
On reports of certain quarters might create havoc if the election results were not in their favour, he said: “This will tarnish Malaysia’s image. As Malaysians, despite our political differences, we must protect the country’s image and dignity. Let the electoral process runs smoothly and everybody must accept the results,” he added.
The prime minister said he was confident that the BN would get a bigger mandate at the polls.
“I believe the people will make a wise decision. The most important thing is the level of confidence towards the country’s future, if they were to make their evaluation based on our capability in the last four years, the national transformation policy can be implemented successfully,” he said.
Najib said if the BN were given the mandate for five more years, he was confident that the socio-economic position of the country would improve further in the march towards Vision 2020.
Asked how important is GE13 to the BN, Najib said: “Obviously, it’s a mandate to lead this nation, it’s not the way they (Pakatan) demanding it, because we are within the better side and have a better track record and a better agenda for Malaysia.”
He also advised the people to vote early to avoid being caught in the rain in the afternoon.
“Don’t be afraid because we have the situation under control,” he said after visiting polling centres at Sekolah Kebangsaan Ahmad and Sekolah Menengah (Agama) Al- Attas before leaving for Selangor.
Najib, who retained the Pekan parliamentary seat by beating PKR’s Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin in the 2008 general election with a 26,464-vote majority, faces PKR’s Mohd Fariz Musa in a straight fight. – Bernama