Najib (fifth left) launches Minda as Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem (fourth left) and other federal and state leaders look on. — Photos by Muhd Rais Sanusi
KUCHING: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak believes the majority of Sarawakians do not agree with the Citizens’ Declaration initiated by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He said the so-called Citizens’ Declaration “is not an agenda for citizens”.
“It is not about the people. That is your personal agenda,” he said when launching the ‘Malaysian National Digital Inclusion (Minda)’ programme yesterday.
As ‘minda’ means ‘mind’ in Bahasa Malaysia, Najib said: “That’s why the mind is the most important organ in your body. The organ is not what you think.
“The mind is the most powerful organ, mind over matter. We must differentiate between facts and lies, what is true and what is not.”
He noted that some quarters, both in Malaysia and elsewhere, had the tendency to disseminate half-truths and make unrealistic promises.
Citing a recent promise made by a US presidential candidate, Najib said: “The presidential candidate promises free college education in America. Do you know how expensive that is?
“You can promise free education, but who pays for it?” he asked, recalling that the Malaysian opposition had also promised to abolish the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN).
He said the opposition never mentioned who would pay for education, which led him to stress: “That is why the mind is important.
“It (the promise) sounds so good, (which makes the people feel) that I must support them. This is not the mind thinking, but the heart feeling. Election is about thinking.
“People love the Chief Minister of Sarawak (Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem), so we must give him the mandate. I’m here as the supporting actor; he (Adenan) is the leading actor.”
Najib said he was pleased that Adenan’s administration had collaborated well with the federal government: “We cannot have a state government that fights the federal government.
“How do you run a state? Let me give an example, if the DAP (Democratic Action Party) asks for Pan Borneo Highway, do you think they will get it? We must be part of the same team if we want to get something.”
Meanwhile, Najib said the digital era would bring about significant changes in terms of how people communicated while noting that Malaysia registered among the highest number of social media users globally.
He said many Malaysians spent five to six hours a day on social networking site Facebook.
“The number of our smartphones in use is greater than the population in Malaysia. And this is among the highest in the world, too.”
As such, he said the government would continue to emphasise the development of an advanced economy so that Malaysians would not lag behind the rest of the world.
Najib (seated) visits a booth after launching Minda.