Najib wants Permatang Pauh folk to support BN

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today the time has come for the people of Permatang Pauh to switch their support to the Barisan Nasional.

He advised them to elect a BN representative there in the next general election, saying the reformation they had been fighting for in the past 17 years ended when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad made a U-turn to join the opposition.

Supporters of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim have been clamouring for a reformation after Dr Mahathir sacked him as the deputy prime minister in 1998.

Najib said the reformation movement had practically died when the person they had directed it at was now collaborating with the opposition.

"Don't tell me you cannot make a change in Permatang Pauh. The reformation is no more. The reformation movement was initiated to fight a person said to be a dictator, a 'maha firaun' (great Pharaoh), a ruthless leader, but that person is now their (Pakatan Harapan) chairman.

Najib said that once the spirit of reformation had diminished, the people had to forget the past and start afresh.

"Since they have made U-turns, you must also make a U-turn in Permatang Pauh," he said when addressing the 'Kenduri Bersama Rakyat' (Feast with the People) at the Seberang Perai Polytechnic here.

He said the U-turn was necessary because the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat had failed to bring about any change for the better in the constituency, now held by PKR president and Anwar's wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The Prime Minister said Wan Azizah had not brought much change to the constituency as the MP, and asked the people why they could not switch their support to the BN.

He said the opposition should not play politics because everyone was wise and aware and that the time had come to strive towards making Malaysia more progressive, advanced and excellent.

Najib, who is BN chairman and UMNO president, said Permatang Pauh had been a BN stronghold until 1998 when Dr Mahathir sacked Anwar as the deputy prime minister.

He said the BN had never ceased to serve in the constituency despite the representative being an opposition MP.

He also said that the BN fulfilled its pledges unlike the opposition which made promises that it could not keep.

Citing examples, Najib said the DAP-led Penang government had pledged to build an undersea tunnel and provide an aerobus service but these had yet to be implemented although the tunnel consultant had been paid.

"We have built the MRT and done many things which have been appreciated by the world. This is the BN government. The Penang government even promised not to raise water rates, but they have gone up four times," he said.

-- BERNAMA