MORE EMPTY PROMISES? BN ups the tempo with a manifesto for all

KUALA LUMPUR- With four days left to the fixing of nomination and polling dates for the 13th General Election, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak went to the people tonight with the Barisan Nasional (BN) manifesto pledging that no Malaysian will be left behind by the coalition, should it be returned to power.

The event was significant on two counts - it was the first time the BN has launched its general election manifesto, well before nomination day, and in a departure from the norm, the 31-page document lists a whole slate of commitments, projects and programmes.

Inside the Putra Indoor Stadium here packed with BN supporters, he spoke of his hopes for the nation, including the young, backed by the full complement of leaders of BN component parties and states ruled by the coalition.

In seeking a mandate from the people to lead the next government, Najib also presented his report card on what had been achieved by his administration over the past four years that adds credibility to his ability to fulfill all the commitments contained in the manifesto.

In the morning, he was in Kuantan to launch the Armed Forces Open Day at the Royal Malaysian Air Force Base where he slammed opposition political parties for attempting to undermine and demoralise the police and security forces when they were thwarting the Lahad Datu terrorist intrusion. He made clear that the government's transformation agenda was incumbent upon a well-guarded nation.

Earlier in the day, Najib's deputy, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, spent the morning in the opposition-held Lembah Pantai parliamentary constituency and expressed confidence in BN regaining the seat. He also asked the people to compare the BN manifesto with that of the opposition.

"The BN manifesto is an agreement between the BN and the people that will bring about much more prosperity, development and progress, particularly as the next five years are crucial for us to achieve the developed nation status," he said.

Muhyiddin said the people should give their mandate to the BN to ensure that the national transformation agenda was continued. Amid the attention on the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat in Johor to be contested by DAP veteran leader Lim Kit Siang, Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, touted as the BN challenger there, said it was Najib who would decide.

In Kuching, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), the backbone of the state BN, is set to field a new woman candidate while retaining the other incumbent MPs.

"Everything is completed...no problem except to wait for the prime minister to declare (the final list)...there is only one new face, a woman," said Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who is also state BN chairman and PBB president.

Sarawak has 31 parliamentary seats, the most among the states. The Dewan Rakyat has 222 members. In the 2008 General Election, BN won 30 of 31 seats in Sarawak with PBB taking 14. The state coalition goes into the fight this time with 28 seats after losing Sibu in a by-election and another MP going independent but remaining BN-friendly. Sarawak is only holding its parliamentary election as its state polls were held in April 2011.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission said it had appointed 17 non-governmental organisations as observers and they would have about 1,000 volunteers on duty at the polling centres.

– Bernama