Najib: We have done a lot but we say little about it

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KUALA LUMPUR - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the time has come for the Barisan Nasional (BN) to spell out its deeds in improving the lot of the people.

He said that unlike the opposition parties, which he said were fond of boasting about what they had done even though it did not amount to much, the BN had been relatively quiet about its contributions to the people.

"We have done a lot but we say little about it. They have done little but they brag a lot about it. We've done a mountain high of deeds but often they are not appreciated," he said when launching the Wanita Umno's Sayang Squad carnival at Taman Datuk Ahmad Razali in Ampang, here.

Present were the prime minister's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

Najib said that for instance, although the government had exempted about one million households from paying their electricity bill of RM20 and below, it did not brag about it unlike a Pakatan state government which made a big deal out of its decision to give 20 cubic metres of free water.

Najib said that in a parliamentary democracy, the people's well-being should be cared for because it was they who would determine whether a party was successful when the time came for them to give their mandate.

"That is why, in the 2011 Budget, I've tried to cover the interests of all in the effort to improve the people's well-being," he said.

The prime minister said the budget provided various incentives, among them the "My First Home Scheme" through Cagamas Bhd to help newly-employed civil servants, earning less than RM3,000 a month, to own a house.

The scheme provides a guarantee on down payment of 10 per cent for houses costing below RM220,000.

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He said that for the first time in history, the government also set up the National Wage Consultation Council as a platform to set the wage for workers.

"The effort to improve the lot of the people will continue," he said.

Najib also called on Wanita Umno and BN to continue holding such programmes for the people especially in opposition-held areas like Ampang, which is now represented by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

"It doesn't matter what the challenges will be; in the name of the struggle for the people, there shall be no backing down. If we want to redeem ourselves in Ampang, we should care for the Ampang people," he said.

Najib, who is Selangor Umno chief, also said that he would consider the various requests forwarded by the Ampang Umno division chief Datuk Ismail Kijo.

He also said that Wanita Umno had been the party's pillar, and praised them for their hard work.

The Sayang Squad was launched in October last year and is a Wanita Umno and BN's platform for volunteerism to get close to the people at the grassroots level. - BERNAMA