ST PETERSBURG, Russia: Malaysian Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said yesterday Malaysian opposition political parties have run out of ideas and are pinching from the work of the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.
He said their own Merdeka Day themes had been used by the Information Department in its booklets on unity published in 2009.
The move to come up with their own themes for the celebration was a political game of the opposition to humiliate BN’s success in the eyes of the people, more so when predictions were that the next general election would be held this year, he said.
“They are desperate and bankrupt of ideas. They are also envious of the success and the fulfilled promises of the (federal) government all this while.
“As such, they just pinch whatever the Information Department has done and promote it as their own idea,” he told Bernama here.
The opposition pact has announced that the opposition-administered states would use three different themes for this year’s Merdeka Day celebration because it did not agree with the federal government’s theme of ‘55 Years of Independence, Promises Fulfilled’.
The Kedah government is to use the theme ‘Terus Berbakti’ (Continue to Serve), the Kelantan government, ‘Menerajui Perubahan’ (Leading Change) and the Penang and Selangor governments, ‘Sebangsa, Senegara, Sejiwa’ (One Nation, One Country, One Soul).
Rais said having three different themes simply went to show that the opposition political parties could not come to an agreement.
“This only proves that they cannot come to a consensus. I feel that the people can judge for themselves,” he said.
Rais was here to attend the 9th Apec Ministerial Meeting on Telecommunications and Information Industry (TELMIN 9). — Bernama