PM Najib: No matter how big a win, DAP can't take Putrajaya

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today impressed upon MCA delegates on the need for them to explain to the Chinese community about the choice they face in the 14th General Election.

"Tell them (Chinese community), what do they want? Do they want a strong Chinese representation or a weak representation in the next government? The choice is yours.

"Tell the Chinese community - DAP cannot form the (federal) government. The reality is, in the last general election, they won big but couldn't form the government.

"They cannot do better than the last election. Cannot. Even if they do as good in the next general election, they still cannot form the government," he said when officiating the 64th MCA annual general assembly at the MCA headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

In the last general election, DAP swept 38 out of 51 parliamentary seats it contested. The party also won 95 out of the 103 state seats it contested, becoming the second largest party after Umno.

On the other hand, Najib pointed out that MCA only had seven parliamentary seats and the Chinese community could be better represented in the government if MCA won more seats.

Najib said he wanted an inclusive government and was forced to create new ministerial posts for MCA despite the party only winning seven parliamentary seats so that the Chinese community could be represented.

"By right, you can't get three ministers with seven MPs. Maybe only one, but not three. But we did it.

"We want to show that we listen to the needs of the Chinese community. But please, give us the support," he said.

Najib said the Chinese community can't expect to have a wishlist for the BN-led federal government yet refuse to support it.

"You cannot have everything your way. You want schools, this and that, but you don't want to give your vote. It doesn't make sense.

"Then you complain that we (only) give to the Malays, to the others. The others supported us. Umno received the biggest representation and increased the number of (parliamentary) seats (won).

"I can't refuse them. Later Umno folks will complain that Umno won but the prime minister refused them," he said.

As such, Najib said the Chinese community could have various requests fulfilled if they supported BN.

He also stressed that the successes of the Chinese community were based upon the stability BN has provided.

Najib also touched on Putrajaya's agreement to build 10 new Chinese primary schools and stressed that the approval was not because of the general election.

"This is not related to the general election. I have done this before... I have approved Chinese schools before," he said.

Najib said the last time he did this was when Lim Ah Lek was MCA deputy president and current MCA president Liow Tiong Lai was at that time a political secretary. Najib was education minister from 1995 to 2000.

Following the latest request by Liow and his deputy Wee Ka Siong as well as other BN component parties, Najib said he had once again agreed to build more Chinese schools which he said will be enough to meet the Chinese community's needs for the next 10 to 15 years.

"It's not about the election, it's about the needs of the Chinese community," he said.- Mkini