‘BN aiming only for simple win’

Rafizi claims that Najib has at last come to terms with the impossibility of regaining two thirds of Parliament.

TAIPING: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has given up hoping that Barisan Nasional will win two thirds of parliament and will announce the election date once he can be assured of a simple majority, according to PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli.

He said Najib had been demanding field reports on voter reaction to every one of his political moves and had finally despaired of reaching his target.

Rafizi did not explain how he got the information.

“Najib will call the polls now if he can be assured of a simple majority,” he told the crowd at Dewan Persatuan Kwantung here.

He said Najib could have called for the election after the distribution of the first BR1M aid but had hesitated because he wanted to be absolutely sure of the two-third win.

“Abdullah Badawi was sleeping when advised not to hold the 2008 general election and BN lost five states,” he said. “Najib has been over-cautious, demanding field reports for every political move he makes.”

According to him, PKR believes it is likely that the election will be in December.

“The monsoons and school examinations in December are not a problem for BN,” he said. “But the question is: can BN get the seats for a simple majority in Parliament?”

He said Pakatan Rakyat was confident of winning the election. “We already have 105 parliament seats in hand and we hope to get more soon.”

Criticising the 2013 national budget as a means of safeguarding the interests of BN cronies, he said Malaysia’s economy would improve only if the current regime was booted out.

He also criticised BN for allowing the national debt to surpass the RM500 billion mark, saying this meant that every Malaysian was in debt to the tune of RM17,000.

At an earlier talk in Simpang, Rafizi responded to a campaign point made frequently by BN leaders—that Pakatan lacks BN’s experience in governing the country.

“Yes,” he said, “we do not have the experience in corruption, cronyism and wastage.”

He warned that the country might go to the dogs if BN continued to rule.