PM Najib tells youths: Don't take to the streets, video it instead

Caretaker Prime Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak today urged youths not to vent grievances through street demonstrations, but to videotape their hopes and send them to the Suara Generasiku(Voice of my generation) Facebook page instead, where his administration will work to fulfill their dreams, if the BN-led government is given a new mandate.

“Youths do not need to demonstrate on the streets. Don’t need to want to change the ruling government, because today we open the space and opportunity for you to be heard,” Najib (left) told the over 2,000-strong young crowd at Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

Suara Generasiku is a programme organised by the Gerakan Belia Gagasan1Malaysia, as a platform for youths to engage with the government, with popular artistes, sports persons and personalities from national car clubs as ambassadors to entice youths to support the movement.

Youths are told to videotape their hopes and post it to the programme’s page on social networking site Facebook, with the video with the most ‘likes’ to be given prizes.

In his speech launching the programme, Najib warned them not to listen to “voices that want to see chaos and backwardness” and use channels like this to make themselves heard.

Najib detailed that youths indeed have received a lot from the ruling coalition, with the Universities and University Colleges Act amended to allow participation in politics, 33 million jobs soon to be created as promised in the BN GE13 manifesto, as well as cash handouts like BB1M and BR1M which will continue and increase.

He admitted that his generation may be different in mindset and values from the newer generation, who are influenced by many outside influences, including those that seep in through cyberspace.

In his generation, for example, he said that the “orthodox or conservative” view of leadership is that it is top-down, but said that he does not believe in the orthodox way and will work to listen to youths instead on what they want in a bottoms-up manner.

However, when it comes to his own party, Najib sings a different tune, just this week he had told BN GE hopefuls that the party leadership at the top shall decide who is the winnable candidates, and that candidates and the lower echelons should not sulk if they or their chosen ones are not picked.

In his trademark ‘I help you, you help me moment’ common on his GE campaign walkabouts like this one, Najib also offered to help youths fulfill their dreams should BN retain federal power.

“We will fulfill all your hopes if we get a new mandate from the rakyat,” he promised.

Exhorted to scream ‘1Malaysia’

The hall where the event was held was filled with loudly screaming youths in a scene reminiscent of a Beatles concert from the last century, both males and females crowding and jumping excitedly, as they were exhorted by a TV3 screen personality emceeing the event, to scream out “1Malaysia!” and “I love PM” repeatedly.

Prior to Najib’s speech, the youths were entertained by a bevy of popular male and female singers dressed in the latest ‘street’ wear in the theme of Western rap artists, loose pants for the men and tight pants for the ladies, dancing and gyrating to the latest local pop and rap songs.

After which a representative from the organisers went on stage to read out a doa or Muslim prayer, urging Allah to give longevity to the government which is filled with Islamic purpose and instills Islamic values.

This is one of several programmes which the BN-led government had launched to target youths with many being new voters in upcoming polls, one which pundits says will be the most hotly contested and where youths are touted as being a ballot powerhouse, if not actual kingmakers.