"I will live and die in Pekan, politically," - Najib

"I will never dream of leaving Pekan. I will live and die in Pekan, politically," he told reporters after chairing separate Barisan Nasional and Umno supreme council meetings at the Putra World Trade Centre here.

He made this remark when asked to comment on Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's announcement yesterday, that the latter would not be defending his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat as he would be contesting in Perak.

Najib became member of parliament (MP) for Pekan in 1976, after his father, the then-prime minister and Pekan MP, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, passed away.

Najib said Anwar's (intended) move (to contest in Perak) showed that he was not feeling secure in Permatang Pauh (anymore).

He said Anwar was abandoning the people who had supported him for so long since he entered politics. "I think he is not feeling that secure in Permatang Pauh. He has abandoned those people who supported him for so long, since he entered politics," noted the prime minister.

Najib said the people should realise that if Anwar could abandon supporters in Permatang Pauh, he could abandon those in the new constituency in future.

"It is the loyalty to the people who have stood by you, that matters in politics. It is the principle that matters. It is not just about winning," he added.