Najib wants Indians, Chinese to back BN (Malaysiakini)

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak made a plea to the Chinese and Indian communities in Permatang Pauh - come back to the Barisan Nasional's fold.

He told them to reject the opposition and vote for Umno's Arif Shah Omar Shah in the Aug 26 by-election.

And he had one more word of counsel - do not gamble with your children's future by supporting the opposition candidate who had been making false promises.

"Do not be easily hoodwinked by the opposition promises and fall for their trickery because if we were to believe them, we will be quarrelling with each other," he told members of these two communities in Permatang Pauh yesterday.

He admitted that voters from these two communities had deserted BN in the March 8 general election, blaming that on the communities being unduly influenced by the opposition.

It was time to support BN again, he said.Permatang Pauh, a semi-urban constituency in Penang, has 58,459 voters, consisting some 69 percent Malays, 25 percent Chinese and six per cent Indians.

He promised that the BN would champion the Indian and Chinese communities' cause in the constituency as they had been neglected by the opposition.

Marginalised Indians

Talking specifically about the Indian community, Najib, also the deputy BN chairperson, said that a special cabinet committee was formed to look after the well-being of the Indian community who had long complained of being marginalised by the Umno-led BN government.

He also said that the government was doing much to increase the educational opportunities of the Indian community.

He was reported in Bernama as saying that vocational and skills training courses were conducted for those living in the estates.

Tamil primary schools with less than 50 students each were to be merged to enable the government provide better facilities for the students, he added.

And specifically for the Indian voters in Permatang Pauh - numbering some 3,500 voters - Najib said the government has agreed to approve scrap metal collector's licence for them.

He also announced aid for three Tamil primary schools and six Chinese primary schools.

Umno's policies blamed

Umno has increasingly attracted discontent over its race-based policies which supported Malay supremacy.

Non-Malay parties in the BN had, in the wake of the appalling performance at the March 8 general election, squarely blamed Umno's policies for their defeats.

Some others, like Gerakan, are facing internal tumult from its members to teach Umno a lesson by leaving BN altogether.

The Aug 26 by-election sees Amir Shah taking on PKR's Anwar Ibrahim and Angkatan Keadilan Insan Malaysia (Akim) president Hanafi Hamat for the hot parliamentary seat.

Anwar (above) remains the hot favourite to retain the seat for his party. His campaign line has been one which includes all races.

The seat was vacated by PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to allow her husband Anwar to return to Parliament.

entire news n photos courtesy of Malaysiakini