Rais: BN must unite to face 13th GE

The Barisan Nasional (BN) must unite to face the 13th General Election, said Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

He said, whatever the political beliefs of BN component parties, they should unite in facing the opposition in the general election.

"Based on that, we must be on good terms as our job is to ensure victory for BN in our struggle. For that, we must be united and send the message to all so that we can jointly set up a strong government under BN," he said.

He was speaking in conjunction with a Ponggal festival celebration held at a cultural hall in the Jelebu parliamentary constituency Tuesday.

Rais, who is also Jelebu member of parliament, reminded the people not to gamble with their future when opposition leaders came around and made various promises.

"As such, we must think about our future based on BN's track record," he said. With the general election expected to be held anytime now, the minister said the election atmosphere would become a time of hope for the people.

"But, what are we hoping for? We hope Malaysians will remember the deeds of BN. We must look back at what BN had done through education, housing, medicine, culture, communications and 22 other major matters.

"They have to evaluate BN's services and sacrifices, solely to protect the people, as compared to the promises of the opposition which are mere retorics. The government has provided various social and economic benefits beyond the people's expectations.

"As such, there is no excuse for the people to reject BN and choose the opposition which aspires to capture Putrajaya," he said.

At the ceremony, apart from handing over 10 1Malaysia notebooks to students, Rais also presented RM138,000 in allocations to non-governmental agencies, village development and security committees, schools, mosques, temples and the Jelebu district office.