Rais defends Merdeka theme

Minister tells Parliament everyone in the country is a product of BN's fulfilled promises.

KUALA LUMPUR: We are products of the government’s fulfilled promises, said Information, Communication and Culture minister Rais Yatim in defence of this year’s Merdeka Day theme.

“It’s up to you whether you want to accept it or not,” said Rais in Parliament today.

Tenggara MP, Halimah Mohd Sadiquie, asked Rais on public acceptance of the government’s theme as opposed to the theme mooted by states administered by Pakatan Rakyat.

Ipoh Timur MP, Lim Kit Siang, also questioned the government’s theme, saying it had failed to deliver its promises on many key areas such as curbing corruption and reducing crime rates.

However, Rais said that it was easy for anyone to criticise the government and if the people kept harping on negative issues, the country would not progress.

“The system we practised since Merdeka brought us to where we are now. Pakatan Rakyat was able to capture Penang and Selangor due to the democracy practised by BN,” he said.

The government received brickbats when it chose ‘Janji Ditepati’ as this year’s Merdeka theme, saying it was BN election campaign slogan.

Opposition MPs have accused the government of hijacking this year’s Merdeka celebrations, prompting the Pakatan-led states to come up with their own themes.