BN policies help create billionaires, says PM

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said that the country's billionaires are where they are today because of of the BN government's concessions.

"The list of Malaysian billionaires, I studied each and everyone of them, there are some in this room today.

"Everyone of them became rich because of our policies, either directly or indirectly," Najib said in his keynote speech at the "Malaysia Chinese at the Political Crossroads" conference.

Najib was referring to the recently released figures by theMalaysianBusinessmagazine which revealed that the country now has 30 billionaires.

According to the magazine, the top three in the list are Hong Kong-based tycoon Robert Kuok, satelite-TV Astro owner Ananda Krishnan and Public Bank founder Teh Hong Piow.

"They (billionaires) did not get contracts, contracts expire in three years, the bumiputera gets them, and after three years they say can you give me another, I always get that.

"They got concessions, almost indefinite concession to print money. Even if there are no concessions, they were at the right place and the right time," he said.

Najib added that these billionaires had also benefited from the country's stability which the BN government has worked to build.

Praising the Chinese community as an industrious and entreupeneurial one, the premier urged them to support the BN to ensure continued pro-growth policies.

"You work hard, you are rich because you are thrifty and if you believe in a government which a pro-growth, who will benefit? You will benefit," he declared.

Najib saved Chinese schools

The prime minister also trumpeted his credentials, pointing out that he had removed the "Sword of Damocles" hanging over Chinese schools by ridding the Education Minister's power to convert Chinese schools into national schools at his or her discretion.

This, he said, was in contrast to "a certain member in the opposition" who during his tenure as education minister tried to "pander to the right wing" elements in his party by opposing the move.

"Today it is no longer a question of whether Chinese schools exist or not, the only questions are to get more financial education, to get more teachers or expansion but the very existence of Chinese school is no longer a worry.

"We make Malaysia a better place for doing business. If you have problems, we listen to your problems.

If you don't want the MyRapid Transit (MRT) to pass through cerainareas, we discuss, we can tweak the alignment in the area," he said in reference to the Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan communities who are opposed to the project cutting through the areas which are historically symbolic to the Chinese community.

The MRT project in Jalan Sultan issue remain unresolved but the premier made no specific reference to it.

Thanking the Chinese community for its contributions, Najib called on them to support him as he faces his first electoral test.

"As the theme of this conferece, we are at a poltical crossroad, There Chinese are at a poltical crossroad.

"All I can say, plase make the right choice, make the right turning. If you make the right turing and are confident about us transforming the nation, we will succeed in making Malaysia a fully high income nation."