CHANGE WE MUST: Najib greeted by applause after opening the SUPP TDC. From second left are Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan, Housing Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, Datuk Sim Kheng Hui and Datuk Seri Peter Chin. Photo by Jeffery Mostapa
KUCHING: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is leaving the people guessing as to when the next general election will take place.
Najib, who was here to officiate at the opening of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) 22nd triennial delegates conference (TDC) yesterday, said he himself was clueless as to when the 13th general election (GE13) would be held.
Speculations on the date have been rife since Najib said at the recent Umno convention in Kuala Lumpur that the election was very near.
This was interpreted as when the Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman would seek the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve parliament, and pave the way for the next general election.
“We have the GE13 looming. Whatever it is, I do not know when,” Najib said in his speech at the opening ceremony held at a five-star hotel and resort here.
Touching on the last general election in 2008 which was a rude awakening because the ruling government lost five states, he believed BN had turned a corner this time around.
He believed that on a national basis, there was greater public confidence in the government as BN was willing to put forward a fresh and exciting agenda.
Saying the government’s national transformation programme was bearing results, Najib added that the people realised the government had a clear direction for the future.
“We have a national plan that is credible and achievable for a fully developed and high income nation by year 2020. We have proven to the Malaysian public that if democracy is about a contest of ideas, then the BN government has supremacy of ideas over the opposition.
“Our transformation plan, the GTP (Government Transformation Plan) and ETP (Economic Transformation Plan), is far superior to the ideas in the Orange Book, proposed by the opposition.
“I can vouch for it, you present this Orange Book (of the Pakatan Rakyat) to any analyst and compare it with the government’s transformation programme, BN’s plan would win hands down because BN’s programmes and plans are based on hard facts and reality in what we have done,” continued Najib.
Taking a shot at the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, he said the BN government would not promise the sun, moon and galaxy.
Likening the opposition to behave like “a man who is trying to woo a young lady”, Najib said everything was promised to her but at the end of the day, she will get disappointed.
“The opposition is running for office. They are so obsessed about trying to get to Putrajaya even though at one time, they wanted to sell Putrajaya on the cheap. Now they can’t wait to get to Putrajaya,” quipped Najib.
He said BN, on the other hand, had an unbeatable track record in leading and developing the nation. BN had delivered over many years, and had a credible plan to achieve its hope and ambition to become a fully developed nation.
“Don’t gamble away our future. Malaysia is too important to be given away to the opposition. Only BN can safeguard the future for all Malaysians,” he claimed, assuring that the government would continue to be as fair as possible to all the people.