Najib asks for fresh mandate to carry out transformation

He says BN works for the people’s future while Pakatan bangs its drums

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak today delivered a speech that sounded like one made for an election campaign, asking for another mandate to enable him to carry out a “full and total transformation” of the nation.

Fresh back from an overseas tour that included a meeting with the British Prime Minister in London and the Pope in Rome, he addressed an audience of nearly 1,000 in Subang Perdana – in Pakatan-ruled Selangor – at a function where he also donated RM165,000 to 33 families.

The speech extolled Barisan Nasional as “a responsible government working for the long term future of the nation” and belittled the attempts of Pakatan Rakyat state governments to help the poor.

He lamented that “many say they don’t feel what the government has done for them” and listed out the various government subsidies on food, education and health.

“How can you say there is no government help? It’s just that sometimes we don’t see this because when the other side gives RM100, they make so much noise that it reverberates throughout the kampung.

“We give billions. The other side just bang their drums louder.”

He said he would sacrifice popularity “in the interests of the public and the country”.

Najib’s recent tour also took him to Turkmenistan, where Petronas has invested billions of US dollars to extract natural gas for export.

He said the investment would result in employment for Malaysians, “perhaps even for the children” of those hearing the speech “because we take a long view of things”.

“We make realistic promises,” he added. “We don’t say that today we take power and tomorrow oil prices will come down.”