Fulfill people’s mandate, civil servants told

PUTRAJAYA: Civil servants need to set a new standard by shifting to a new paradigm, reflecting the mandate, expectation and demand of the people, said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

The reminder to move forward came in the wake of almost 30 days after the 13th general election (GE13) which was held on May 5.

Najib said civil servants cannot afford to look back and waste any more time on excessive politicking because it would derail the task of fulfilling promises and aspiration of voters who have given the mandate during the GE13.

As for the GE13, the prime minister said the government had taken several steps and measures in accordance with the law to ensure a transparent, fair and just election, including accepting recommendations from the opposition parties.

“However, there are still some who dispute the results of the GE13 claiming electoral fraud. If we know the procedure, it is almost impossible for anyone to cheat in a big way,” he said in his speech when addressing the staff of the Prime Minister’s Department during a monthly gathering at Dataran Perdana, here, today, the first since the GE13.

Najib said allegations by some with regard to the GE13 were ridiculous and baseless, especially claims that the Barisan Nasional had brought in 40,000 Bangladeshis as “phantom voters” to ensure victory.

He said similar accusations were in the “air” for months before the GE13, leading to a paranoid situation among those who believed, to an extend of even attacking a local who looked like a Bangladeshi, apparently to prevent the “phantom voter” from casting his vote.

“It is not fair for a local with tanned skin colour to be labelled as ‘foreigner’. We can laugh about it after the GE13 but during that time people were convinced by stories of phantom voters which were created just to tarnish the credibility of the election process,” he said.

Najib said the decision by the people of Malaysia to give the BN government the mandate to continue has been accepted by world leaders.

“Right now let us show that our country practices matured democracy, not by saying it but showing that we accept the process of democracy after the election,” he said.

“The government will continue its efforts to change and the transformation will continue because the people have shown that they want changes and that it can be done without changing the government,” he said.

Najib said weaknesses that were previously identified could have been centered around the government’s machinery which may have not been effective in addressing the “war of perception”.

“We can rectify the situation and find way to fight the war of perception – not reality but perception. Perception can be moulded in various ways, not only through a face to face approach, now there is face book.

“Maybe we should give more attention to such approach because we may lack expertise in such areas. But we can plan and use our expertise so that we can succeed in the future to ‘display’ the actual success – not perception but reality,” he said.

BAD MATH! DAP, PAS, PKR individually lost popular vote to BN

Incredibly, some people are, 26 days on, still mystified by May 5′s aftermath but here goes: Barisan Nasional triumphed handsomely to indisputably re-constitute the government after securing 133 parliamentary seats, well above the required first-past-the-post 112 but short of the magic 148 to win by a super majority.

However, opposition disinformation is pestering the electorate to presume that the BN somehow lost on two counts — unproven fraud and the so-called “popular” vote designed to coerce the BN to capitulate and surrender Putrajaya.

The DAP, in seizing a Chinese tsunami-inspired 38 seats, is still no closer to their leaders’ lifetime fantasy of co-ruling while Pas lost Kedah (and Perak, if you need to be picky) and PKR their overall 2008 gains although Kelantan and Selangor were fortified as strangleholds.

Pas and PKR were stumped by an Umno rejuvenated by Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s earnestness in picking up the post-2008 shattered pieces while Sarawak and Sabah BN stoutly stood their ground despite the massive ground assault.

BN’s blot? The MIC outperformed expectations but for the near-deaths of MCA and Gerakan, scrambling now for salvation through a speculatively inventive single multiracial party.

Putrajaya was a tantalising mirage when the polls results knocked the wind out of the defacto PKR leader’s premiership fixation. But it did not crush his dangerously fading agenda of incessantly fibbing about a “fraudulent” election — a “monstrous” lie as Dr Chandra Muzaffar indelicately put it, or as we’d like to put it, the sorest loser.

The loathsome soiree between Anwar and the dynastic duo of Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng needed to save face and appease a frustrated Chinese protectorate gifting them the record 89 seats by concocting the ridiculous disinformation campaign that the opposition, morally, won by edging the BN on the “popular” vote.

Nice try but wearied people have disavowed the disinformation. Unruffled, the opposition is determined not to lose its perception war by resorting to massive rallies, idiotic 100,000 police reports and clumsy sedition — overthrowing the government within a year on the noisy clamouring of a vicious street mob and its contempt of established court practices to hear election complaints.

The loose cannons spewing the allegedly seditious “overthrow the government” utterances have been deservedly arrested and charged, Malaysia’s rule of law decisively at work despite the predictably lame protests of political meddling, the ultimate argument of people who have lost the plot.

Strangely, the ragtag opposition is schizophrenic on the escalation of mob marauding: Pas emphatically dismissed it, key senior DAP and PKR leaders have disassociated themselves from it but the Lims are still two-faced about it, enjoying their reign in Penang but buttressing anyway Anwar’s nihilism.

Still, one cannot get over the engineering to overthrow this democratically-elected government that was fuelled by these humdingers — the logistically impossible deployment of immigrant workers to vote surreptitiously and the hindrance of legitimate voters by certain oppositionists’ fascist thuggery of racial-profiling, scapegoating and bodily harm.

Debunking the “popular vote” fairy tale will be difficult: the gullibly belligerent presuming that total votes counted (proper description for the so-called “popular” vote) split three ways, the highest to the PKR, followed by DAP and Pas, can amount to a singular but “mythical” united force. The myth is cynically perpetuated on the deceitful sloganeering of racism, corruption and rigged polling, consistently rubbished as fabrication but still eagerly consumed.

Eventually, the “popular” vote battle cry was bound to sink on its hysteria: losing BN Shah Alam candidate Zulkifli Noordin, formerly of Anwar’s legal team to fight his sodomy charges, crunched intriguing numbers that deflated the “popular” vote moralising.

Here’s how Zulkifli clarified total votes counted, starting from the biggest gainers:

Barisan: 5,237,699 or 46.53 per cent (133 seats); PKR: 2,254,328 or 20.03 per cent (30 seats); DAP: 1,736,267 or 15.42 per cent (38 seats); Pas: 1,633,389 or 14.51 per cent (21 seats); and, others: 192,904 or 1.71 per cent (no seats).

Zulkifli argued that Anwar’s claim that his troika won the “popular” vote is “twisted logic” on these aspects:

DAP-PKR-Pas axis contested on separate symbols of rocket, eye and moon without a unifying symbol like the BN’s “dacing” and further aggravated by its unregistered status; and, the “incentuous” battles where Pas and PKR fought each other but yet added the sum total as part of Pakatan’s “popular” vote.

The conclusions from these numbers are clear: Anwar’s troika plus scattered opposition votes were expediently counted as a unified entity when the reality is that the three conflicting parties merely put up a good show, no matter how dubious.

Seen from this discrete prism, PKR, DAP and Pas lost the so-called “popular” vote but are maladroitly re-inventing the rules to salvage their lost cause.

What is it then? A juvenile attempt at power grabbing by sheer determination and double-dealing. However, Anwar and the Lims are too vengeful to spot the hypocrisy and irony.

Najib renewed Malaysia's commitment to empower women

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak today renewed Malaysia's commitments to empower women following his re-election as prime minister.
Delivering the keynote address at the Women Deliver Global Conference 2013, Najib said every girl and woman, regardless of her religion, political affiliation, social status or location, deserved a safe, healthy and prosperous life.
"Our national, regional and global stability depend on it.
"When our girls and women are educated, healthy and independent, the benefits extend beyond individual freedom to prosperity and achievement," he said at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre this morning.

Najib: Women still under represented in workforce and politics

KUALA LUMPUR (May 28): While Malaysia has seen significant results from its efforts towards becoming an equitable nation, women still remain under represented in both politics and the workforce, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today.In his keynote address at the Women Deliver Global Conference 2013 here, Najib highlighted Malaysia’s achievements in areas of education and maternal health care and services.

Malaysia has one of the lowest maternal mortality ratios in the region, having slashed its maternal mortality rate by 45% from 53 per 1000,000 in 1990 to 29 per 100,000 in 2010.“It is my hope that countries still lagging behind in meeting the 5th Millennium Development Goal will be able to learn from our experience,” Najib told the audience of royalty, dignitaries and global advocates and experts.

Present were his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who is also patron of the conference, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim and Women Deliver president Jill Sheffield.
“We stand ready to provide technical support to countries with persistently high maternal mortality,” said Najib.

The former Women, Family and Community Development Minister also pointed out that Malaysia’s investment in universal education without gender discrimination has yielded results “beyond expectations”.
“A girl at school in Malaysia today is more likely to go to university than her male classmates,” he said to applause from the audience.

“Today 65% of students enrolled in tertiary education are women. Consider this in light of what happened to Malala Yousafzai who dared to dream of having access to education."Malala, a Pakistani teenager and the youngest nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, last year survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban who were trying to stop her championing of education for girls.

However, Najib added, Malaysia’s challenge is to now ensure that such opportunities for girls and women do not narrow in the real world.Malaysian women make up 49% of the population and the electorate but only 47% of the country’s workforce.

The government has since committed itself to ensuring that women hold at least 30% of decision-making positions in the public and private sectors by 2016.“Women are still not equally represented in the workforce,” he stated. “Female labour participation which is currently at 47% must be improved if we want to continue seeing robust and sustainable growth.”

For this to happen, he said, more jobs aligned to women’s needs should be offered to encourage their participation in the workforce such as through home-based, part-time or flexible working hours.His administration aims to encourage this shift with reforms under the Economic Transformation Programme which is targeting an increase in female labour participation and the number of women on public listed company boards to 55% and 30% respectively.

“Furthermore, if we want to see equally sustainable democracy it is clear that we must increase women’s political participation,” Najib stated.“I am encouraged by the active and visible role taken by some women in our national politics. But I believe it is incumbent upon us to find out why women are under-represented in Malaysia’s political discourse.”

The recently concluded GE13 saw 23 women elected at parliamentary level and 57 women elected at state level.In total, women politicians now represent 11% of the country’s parliamentary and state seats which is still lower than the 30% target of the United Nations Committee on the Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Najib: Malaysia’s investment in education without gender discrimination has yielded results

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's investment in education, without gender discrimination, has yielded results beyond the Government's expectation, said the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.Speaking at the 3rd Global Conference on Women Deliver 2013, Najib said 65 percent of students in institutions of tertiary educations here are women.

"A girl at school in Malaysia today is more likely to go to University than her male classmates."Although we have the same number of girls and boys enrolled in school, higher education rates are greater for women," he said on Tuesday.

However, he agreed that enrolment was only the first step."For Malaysia, as for many countries, the challenge is to ensure that success in the classroom carries over into life outside it, that the world of opportunity for girls and women does not narrow upon graduation, but opens up," he said, adding that women were not equally represented in the country's workforce, currently standing at 47 percent.

"More jobs aligned to women's needs should be offered to encourage their participation in the workforce, such as through home-based, part-time or flexible working hours," he said in his speech.Citing several Malaysian women he described as superstar players including Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Najib said their successes showed the country in its best light.

"I know that a few superstar players do not mean that the field is level."We have taken clear steps towards a more equitable nation in education, healthcare and in wage equality but there is still much more to be done," he said.

Speaking about the country's successes in the development of and empowerment of women, Najib pointed out that Malaysia had made great progress in of maternal healthcare."Thanks to strategic, focused and targeted interventions, thousands of women and children in Malaysia are able to survive and enjoy a good quality of life," he said, adding that Malaysia was prepared to provide technical support to countries with persistently high maternal mortality.He also called on health advocates and experts to engage with faith leaders to dispel negative perceptions, which stand in the way of women empowerment.

Malaysia's economy to grow stronger in Q2

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's economy will grow stronger in the second half this year, driven by the removal of the political uncertainty and the Government's firm economic policy, said Credit Suisse Securities (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Stephen Hagger.

He said Malaysia would join an exclusive club currently comprising the Philippines and Thailand which had all the three certainties: primarily economic, corporate earnings and political stability.In the first quarter this year, Malaysia's economy had been put on hold, with everyone predicting the date of the 13th General Election, he said.

“Based on our forecasts, the Malaysian economy is to grow somewhere around 5% this year, boosted by the government's Economic Transformation Programme (ETP),” he told reporters at a forum entitled “GE13 What it means for Business?” yesterday.Hagger said the consistent growth of the gross domestic product and political stability in Malaysia would strengthen the economy.

He said the Malaysian Government's present focus was to reduce the budget deficit to 4% this year.“Everyone is working towards achieving a budget surplus by 2020 and we are heading in the right direction. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index (KLCI) is looking very carefully to signs that the current deficit is under control although there is no great rush, but the direction must be there and this is very much in the control of the Malaysian Government,” he said.

Asked for his recommendations for a stronger benchmark, Hagger said it would be bolstered by construction and banking stocks.“I expect construction stocks like Gamuda, IJM and UEM Land to move up, spurred by the government's projects under the ETP,” he said.

He said banking stocks such as CIMB, RHB and OSK would also be bullish.On Maybank, Hagger said the appointment of the bank's managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of the Economic Planning Unit, would create a huge impact on the bank.“However, there is not too much worry about that as the bank is still strong and will remain bullish this year,” he added. - Bernama

Malaysia’s economy ‘to pick up pace in 2H2013’

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — The Malaysian economy will pick up pace and grow further in the second half of this year following the moderate performance in the first quarter, says a leading banker.

Maybank president and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar said the moderation in the gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first quarter reflected the weak economic activities during the period.

“I expect the economy to pick up in the second half, driven by the removal of the political uncertainty and the government’s strong economic policy,” Abdul Wahid, who has been appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), told reporters after attending the SSM National Conference here today.

Bank Negara Malaysia announced last week that Malaysia’s GDP expanded by 4.1 per cent in the first quarter of this year amid the weaker external environment compared with 5.1 per cent in the same quarter last year and 6.5 per cent in the fourth quarter 2012.    

Abdul Wahid said the country’s economic driver would be the new government economic plans.

“The Maybank Investment segment has forecast about 5.3 per cent growth this year and the government expects about five to six per cent. I believe we should achieve somewhere along there,” he said.

Abdul Wahid said he was confident that Maybank Islamic would contribute one third to Maybank group’s earnings.“We expect the Islamic bank segment to contribute more and achieve one third by 2015,” he said, adding that currently Maybank Islamic contributed about 30 per cent to the Maybank group’s earnings.

He said the Islamic banking was growing especially in Malaysia.Asked on the bank’s succession plan, Abdul Wahid said the board of directors were in discussions to pick his successor.

“I’m sure the bank has a good succession plan and they probably need some time before making any announcement,” he said.Abdul Wahid said he would resign as Maybank president and chief executive officer on June 4.“But before this, let me complete my duties at Maybank, which will release its first quarter financial results on May 23,” he said.

Abdul Wahid described his new responsibility as the minister in charge of the EPU as a very challenging task.

“I’m very nervous on my new position as a minister, this is a public office, with a mammoth responsibility, but I’m honoured to serve the country.

“This is a great challenge and I will do my best,” he said.After helming three corporate giants, namely UEM Builders Bhd, Telekom Malaysia Bhd and Maybank, he will take his oath of office as a senator on June 5 to assume his minister’s post. – Bernama  

Malaysians need to calm down and unite

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s 1Malaysia concept remains relevant despite efforts to interpret the outcome of the 13th general election in a racial context, say analysts.

Political analyst Dr Ibrahim Ghafar said the main consideration is that the Barisan Nasional (BN) managed to win 133 of the 222 parliamentary seats.

“We have to bear in mind that the 1Malaysia concept has nothing to do with political preferences or ideologies.“Furthermore, its effectiveness thus far has been demonstrated by the majority of the people voting for moderation, which is represented by the BN,” he said.

Ibrahim said it cannot be denied that at first glance, 1Malaysia appears to be drowned by political ideologies and, in particular, by what the media keeps referring to as the ‘Chinese tsunami’ which garnered a big win for the opposition DAP.He stressed that this polarization was all the more reason for the 1Malaysia concept to be instilled and strengthened among the multiracial communities.

The DAP won 38 parliamentary seats on May 5 on the wave of solid Chinese support in the urban areas despite Chinese candidates from the BN contesting in the same seats.

“I believe, however, that there are still many Chinese who support the BN. There are many Chinese in the constituencies which the BN won.“Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has made it clear that his priority now is national reconciliation, and for the people to unite towards nation-building despite their political differences.

“And this is where the 1Malaysia concept should be promoted as a medium for racial unity,” he said.

‘Shed hardcore political beliefs’

Dr Noor Sulastry Yurni Ahmad, a senior lecturer at the Anthropology and Sociology Department, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya, is of the opinion that national integration will not be achieved if people refuse to shed their hardcore political beliefs.

“The prime minister introduced the 1Malaysia concept to bring the communities closer, to appreciate and implement all aspects of national unity regardless of political beliefs.“In fact, the concept also treats racial diversity as a basis to strengthen unity.

“What’s important now is that after the majority have given BN the mandate, the party must be given the chance and support to rectify weaknesses and deliver their promises in the next five years. As a peace-loving nation people should also continue supporting 1Malaysia,” she said.

A similar opinion was shared by Malaysian Indian Welfare Association president A Prakash who felt that 1Malaysia was a more suitable concept to unite the multiracial community, which could not be achieved through a political avenue.“We must be grateful for the peace we have and for the freedom to practice our religions and cultures,” he said.

Malaysian Youth Movement president Tan Pei Leong said the outcome of the general election should be accepted by everyone with an open heart.“We must close this chapter. Malaysians need to calm down and unite, and not provoke each other. We must give the government a chance to prove itself over the next five years,” he said.

Boycott ‘madness’ festivals, accept defeat

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysians must boycott the “pesta kegilaan” (festival of madness) by the opposition over claims of electoral fraud and accept that Barisan Nasional won the 13th general election.

Newly minted Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek said this when asked to comment on Home Minister Zahid Hamidi’s statement that Malaysians unhappy with the electoral system should emigrate.

“I have to see the context of Zahid’s statement, what was reported [before I can comment]… but I agree…that there are ‘madness festivals’ being run by sore losers,” said Ahmad Shabery at a press conference today.

“I feel this must be stopped. Most importantly, the rakyat must stop them, must boycott them and leave them because these festivals are about rejecting the decision made by the rakyat through our electorate system,” he added.

Ahmad Zahid wrote in a column published last Wednesday in Utusan Malaysia that the opposition was deliberately confusing “Chinese youths and politically blind followers” into protesting the election results.

This was in response to the series of mega rallies Pakatan Rakyat organised, claiming that electoral fraud and an incompetent Election Commission had robbed them of their victory.

But Ahmad Shabery today mocked the opposition and their supporters for “behaving like children” and “shrieking here and there” and suggested that their actions contravened the country’s democratic and constitutional system.

“We have to see what laws applies against these sore losers who act outside the limits of our democratic and constitutional system,” said Ahmad Shabery.

“Are they seen as going against our constistution and democratic system?” he asked.

He also dismissed Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s argument that Pakatan was the rightful victor by virtue of winning the popular vote, insisting instead that the opposition pact only won big in urban areas.

“Even if they won the popular votes, it was in the urban areas. But our country’s democratic system takes into account not only the urban votes but the rural.

“They can’t dismiss the voters in Kapit, in Machang and Kinabatangan as unimportant. If the people there have said they want the existing party to continue ruling Malaysia, they must accept this,” he added.

He pointed out that despite claims of electoral fraud and gerrymandering, Pakatan had no qualms about accepting their victories in Selangor and Penang.

“If they didn’t agree with the system, they wouldn’t have accepted the swearing in ceremony of the Selangor Menteri Besar [PKR's Khalid Ibrahim] and Penang Chief Minister [DAP’s Lim Guan Eng]. But they did,” said Ahmad Shabery.

Malaysia to work hard for UN Security Council seat

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia will go all out to secure a seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2015-2016 term so that the country can play a part in international security issues.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said Tuesday that although he was confident that Asean member states would support Malaysia, considering it was the only Asean state contesting, the votes of other countries were equally important.

"We must not take it for granted. We have to work very hard and we have to engage and meet leaders from various countries to secure the seat, but I am quite confident that Malaysia has a very good name globally," he told reporters here.

Anifah said the seat in UNSC would send a strong message of peace and the right to co-exist.

On another matter, he said it was also important for the ministry to clear Malaysia's name abroad, since there were some people who tarnished and smeared the country's good image through relentless allegations and negative tactics, especially on the recently-concluded general election.

On the 21 Malaysians detained in Singapore for staging a protest over the general election results, he said the law of the country should be respected but it was the duty of the ministry to assist if it was needed.

On the visit of United States President Barack Obama in October, Anifah said, while there were indications he was coming, it had to be re-confirmed since his schedule might be changed due to internal problems.

He said Malaysia was looking forward to enhance the country's relations with its neighbours, including Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.

Thumbs up for BN's manifesto

REALISTIC: It doesn't promise the moon and the stars, only things which are deliverable, say leaders
KOTA KINABALU: THE Barisan Nasional (BN) manifesto unveiled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has received the thumbs up from leaders nationwide.

In Sabah, the coalition members welcomed the election manifesto which promises hope and confidence for the people.Sabah BN chairman Datuk Seri Musa Aman said the manifesto would continue to put Malaysia on the fast track of development.

"It has concrete pledges that take into account the needs of all Malaysians, regardless of race and background."It also outlines specific programmes geared towards the development of women and youth and even the welfare of the disabled," he said, adding that the prime minister was right when he referred to the document as "a promise of hope" and not just a mere manifesto.

Musa said what was contained within the BN manifesto was realistic, achievable and trustworthy, unlike the opposition's which promised the moon and stars just as bait to get the people to vote for them.United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said the manifesto was a continuation of what had been outlined by BN in the last four years since Najib took over the helm of the country.

Dompok also expressed that the BN-led government should be returned to look into the infrastructure and development in the state.Sabah Gerakan chief Datuk Gordon Leong said the manifesto asserted the coalition's "Promise of Hope" if re-elected into government."BN has track record of achievements and we need a government that has track record, workable plans and proposals.

"Therefore, it is crucial for the people to evaluate the 'Promise of Hope' of BN versus manifesto of PR objectively."Puteri Umno chief Datuk Rosnah Shirlin said the manifesto was a proof that BN was a government that reached out to the people.

"The manifesto serves the needs of the people, not only in the peninsula but also Sabah and Sarawak."
In Gopeng, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek described BN's manifesto as holistic, realistic and pragmatic.

"It will ensure Malaysia's economy continues to prosper and its people to have high income by 2020," he said, adding that the manifesto was the result of three discussions Najib had with BN component party chiefs.Speaking to reporters after visiting the Lawan Kuda New Village, Dr Chua said the manifesto placed priority on the people and the country's development.

"We also welcome the assurance that Chinese education will be supported by the government and assistance to these schools will be continued."The party was also glad that the manifesto took into consideration MCA's proposal that civil service and government-linked companies to be multiracial."It's a warranty that is in line with the 1Malaysia concept which practices inclusive policy."In Seremban, Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said there was a striking difference between 0BN and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) manifestos.

He said the opposition's manifesto tabled earlier offers sweet promises to entice voters which if implemented could destroy the country."BN's manifesto is a promise. It is a continuation of our work and our commitment to further improve the people's lives without jeapordising the future of our country."

Mohamad said BN's manifesto also clearly listed the methods and means to achieve the coalition's target.
"It shows the PM's commitment in the next five years to double the government's effort to help the people."

Negri Sembilan MIC chairman Datuk T. Rajagopalu described the BN manifesto as inclusive and fair to all Malaysian regardless of their races.Former PKR leader Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim also lauded the BN initiatives for low-income groups.

"Those who criticise the policy are usually the ones who do not even pay tax, but they are among the first to line up to receive it."It is taxpayers' money but it is how the government manages the money that counts. Now that BR1M will be given annually, this will definitely alleviate the people's burden. It is definitely a smart move by BN."

In Malacca, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the BN manifesto was practical as it was based on what the government was capable of achieving."BN's promises are reasonable as they take into consideration the country's income, economic growth and ability to repay, while ensuring that the people's needs are met.

"We mean to fulfil these promises, unlike the opposition, which make claims that they will provide all sorts of things for free without taking into account the country's capacity to support such promises."He added that BN's pledges were balanced, touching on crucial economic and social aspects, including a solid plan to take Malaysia to greater heights on the global stage.

"Not only will the people's income be increased, but basic amenities such as public infrastructure and transport systems, including the West Coast Expressway and the Pan Borneo Highway, will be improved for the betterment of the nation."All sectors involved will be empowered to enhance national economic growth, driving us closer to becoming a developed, high-income nation by 2020."

Ali added that he was confident that the people would make the right choice in the upcoming general election."What have Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim achieved compared with Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who has overseen the country's transformation these past few years?

"Can they legitimately say that they have done more for the country than BN leaders who have fulfilled their promises to the people?"I think the people can judge for themselves who are the more credible leaders compared with those who have failed to fulfil their promises after being given the chance to rule a few states for the past five years."

Reasons To Vote For BN This Election

It seems more and more likely that a general election will be called soon.. Why should we vote for

Barisan Nasional this time?

• BN will defend the Constitution. In BN, everyone is united behind the Constitution — no questioning the rights of this or that community which are enshrined in the Constitution
• BN will not treat the country like their personal fiefdom. Unlike some opposition parties which think Malaysia belongs to Allah/Anwar/Altantuya, BN firmly believes that the country belongs to the People
• Haven't you realised how much BN politicians sacrifice to serve the people? How on earth could they have the time and energy to develop a coterie of parasites living off the largesse of the rakyat's money through contracts for shoddy and unnecessary projects?
• BN will uplift the economically disadvantaged Bumiputra community. Many have argued that BN's pet policy to achieve this goal, the New EconomicPolicy, is not working, as it is not bearing any fruit; things are not much better for the Bumiputras despite 30 years of the NEP
•  Our brave and courageous leaders in BN are willing to forge a new path and do something no other country dares to do
• BN will continue to develop and improve our education system so it can produce thinking and creative Malaysians.
• BN shares power with all its component parties.
• BN will get tough on crime
• if you re-elect BN with a larger majority, you can be assured that the government will lock them up with its powers under the state of emergency that has been in force for 40 years to ensure they can never harm the country again.
• BN is not arrogant or self-serving. It certainly does not let power go to its head, and its leaders continue to make major sacrifices 
• if we re-elect BN, they will be able to continue serving us — unlike those arrogant egoists in the opposition who make a big fuss out of spending years in jail for criticising our wise and benevolent BN government.
• BN will ensure zero poverty in Malaysia. You might remember that the number one reason BN has been so successful in its stewardship of the country is because of how they have developed our economy
• Last but not least, BN will be fair and honest with all Malaysians. They will not discriminate against any class of Malaysians because of race or religion.

Malaysia's Najib Dissolves Parliament, Paving Way for Elections

KUALA LUMPUR—Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak said he would dissolve Parliament, setting up an election that analysts say will be the closest in Malaysia's history.

The country's 13th general election pits Mr. Najib's United Malays National Organization—the core of the National Front coalition that has ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957—against charismatic opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who says he is making his last bid for the premiership.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak, here last month, announced Wednesday that he would dissolve Parliament, paving the way for elections within weeks.

In a live television broadcast Wednesday, Mr. Najib said the country's king has accepted his request to dissolve Parliament.

The date of the elections will be set later by the country's Election Commission, but is widely expected to come within a few weeks and will test whether UMNO's traditional political planks of race, religion and economic stewardship can overcome the opposition's pitch for a more open and transparent society in the Muslim-majority Southeast Asian country.

"There is a high degree of uncertainty on the election outcome as large section of youth will be voting for the first time," said Ibrahim Suffian, director at independent pollster Merdeka Center. Voters aged below 30 make up a quarter of the country's 13 million-strong electorate.

Analysts say that though chances of an opposition victory are slim, it may extend its 2008 electoral gains when it wrested 82 of 222 seats in Parliament, leaving the ruling front short of a two-thirds majority for the first time and won five of Malaysia's 13 states. Since the 2008 ballot, the opposition has edged up to 86 seats in Parliament through a series of special elections but lost control of one state.

Ceding more seats to the opposition could limit Mr. Najib's ambitions to liberalize the country's economy and propel it onto a faster growth path. A weaker mandate might spur a leadership challenge to Mr. Najib from within UMNO, analysts say, and hinder his efforts to push through unpopular reforms such as proposals to reduce costly subsidies on food and cooking fuel.

The opposition—consisting of the Islamic fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS, Anwar's moderate People's Justice Party, and the Democratic Action Party that draws most of its support from the ethnic Chinese minority—has steadily gained support in the urban areas. Its pledges to unwind a decades-old race-based affirmative action policy designed to give a leg up to the majority ethnic-Malay population and reduce corruption have a strong appeal among mostly younger voters, analysts say.

In a February survey conducted by Merdeka Center, 46% of respondents said the government must tackle corruption. In the past, ministers have come under graft charges. The top corruption cases include continuing ones involving two former transport ministers, Chan Kong Choy and Ling Liong Sik, who were charged with cheating following cost overruns at a free-trade zone development, and Khir Toyo, the former chief minister of Selangor State. All three deny any wrongdoing.

The 64-year-old Mr. Anwar has said he would retire from politics if his opposition alliance fails to form the next government.

Since Mr. Najib came to power in 2009, he has made efforts to make governance more transparent.

Government contracts are now available online and companies that bid for projects are asked to sign integrity pacts. A Whistleblower Protection Act was passed in 2010 with cash incentives offered to civil servants for reporting corruptions that could lead to prosecution.

Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak dissolves parliament for election

Najib Razak is Malaysia's sixth prime minister

Razak asked the king to dissolve parliament

Ruling coalition has ruled for 59 years

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has dissolved parliament in readiness for a general election

MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Najib Razak dissolved parliament today in preparation for general elections seen as the toughest challenge yet for the ruling coalition after 56 years in power.

"This morning I met the king and asked for his consent to dissolve the parliament,''  Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak said.

"This dissolution will pave the way for the 13th general election.''