Najib also appeared to play off the opposition taunts of “Barang Naik”, by reminding voters that “People say that if the BN wins, everything will go up”, to which he added: “When the (number of) votes go up, the stock market will rise, the currency (value) will also rise.”
Speaking at a meet-the-people session at Dewan Jubli Perak here, he urged them not to let the state fall into opposition hands, as happened in 2008.
He said the opposition, especially the DAP, which claimed to uphold democracy, had, in fact, failed to adhere to the principle.
DAP did not retain Tan as a candidate in the Kepong parliamentary seat because Tan spoke the truth and went against the wishes of the party leaders, Najib said.
“He spoke the truth and was dropped as a candidate. (Tan) had said that the Public Accounts Committee had looked into the 1Malaysia Development Bhd issue and found that there was nothing to show that the prime minister had committed any wrong. So, he was dropped.
“No one can oppose the wishes of the top leader … where is there democracy in the party?” His remarks were reported by Bernama.
Najib pledged to work tirelessly with his team to ensure that Malaysia became a great country.
“We already have plans, including the MRT, LRT, High-Speed Rail (HSR), a new airport, and there are huge investments as well. We have to win big and get the mandate.”
‘Don’t betray your party’
Najib urged members of all BN component parties not to betray their parties but to work hard to gain a bigger mandate.
“Let there be no one who gets annoyed. Let there be no one who betrays our party. We must look forward.
“However angry one might be, even if one dislikes the prime minister, it does not matter, but do not destroy our beloved party.
“So long as there is a party, we can continue with our struggle,” he said.
Najib reminded Umno members that the party had served every member well, “including a prime minister who had served for 22 years” in an apparent reference to Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“He (Dr Mahathir) was not strong. I am also not strong. He was strong because of Umno. It has served him and his children well.
“It was the struggle of Umno and BN that had safeguarded him (Mahathir) all this while. Now, he wants to destroy the party that has served him well. I cannot accept that,” he said.
Najib said the 14th general election on May 9 would determine the future direction of the country.
“This is not a personal matter. It is not a question of who is the electoral candidate. Think about the future of our children and grandchildren. Let’s not have history repeat itself. Do not let Perak fall into opposition hands,” he said.
The opposition PAS-PKR-DAP pact had administered Perak for 11 months in 2008.
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