Match demands with support for BN, Chinese told

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Razak told the Chinese community today to match their demands on the government with support for Barisan National.

“They cannot make demands and support DAP and Pakatan,” he said, referring to the opposition alliance and the overwhelming support it enjoyed from the Chinese in the last general election.

Najib made the remark in his address at the MCA general assembly. He told the party to strengthen its unity so that it can draw back Chinese support to BN.

He said the feedback he had received from the Chinese community was that MCA had lost its sense of direction, but this was apparently before the election of Liow Tiong Lai as party president.

“But under the new leadership of Dato’ Liow Tiong Lai, I believe MCA has found new direction and purpose,” he added.

Najib took the opportunity to attack Pakatan, saying that the recent political crisis in Selangor was proof that it had serious problems.

“They cannot be allowed to bring those problems to a national level,” he said. “The level of distrust is high in Pakatan. If it happens on a national level, the country will be unstable.”

Najib also spoke of two challenges he faced in preparing the budget he proposed to Parliament on Friday—how to be fair in dividing allocations to meet the demands of the various communities and how to balance what is populist with what is economically necessary.

He said he “more or less” got the balance right, but stressed the need to listen to the people and continually improve on the plan detailed in the budget.

“The hardest task is to satisfy everyone,” he said. “As the chairman, I must be fair to all the parties that make up the BN coalition.

“The country is on the fast track to becoming an advanced economy. The Chinese feel they play an important role in this and I cannot discount the entrepreneurial skills of the Chinese.”

-FMT