Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Umno will not spread wings to Sarawak: PM Najib


Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said there is no necessity for Umno to spread its wings to Sarawak as the state BN is strong and supported by the people.

As long as the people continued to support the BN, there would be no Umno in Sarawak, he told reporters after opening the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) general assembly in Kuching today.

He was asked to comment on his remark while opening the assembly that there was no necessity for Umno to come to Sarawak.

Najib, who is the BN chairman, said the coming state election would be a gauge of the people's support to the BN after its dismal performance in the 2008 general election.

The current term of the state assembly is due by July next year.

"This PBB general assembly is therefore important... the presence of PBB leaders from all levels, especially from the grassroots, shows that PBB is ready to fight in our quest for greater success," he said.

He described PBB as a loyal partner whose leaders "walk with Umno and BN through thick and thin", and said that so long as the backbone of the state BN was supported by the people and continued to fulfil its promise to the people, "Umno will not exist in Sarawak."

"Let us prove that the BN is relevant at all times by winning huge in the coming state election. There are no other parties which can provide an alternative to the BN," he said.

Najib, who is Umno president, also said that PBB had proven itself to be a trusted partner and capabile of convincing the people to support the BN.

Cordial state-federal relations would facilitate the smooth flow of allocations from the federal government and this would ultimately benefit the people, he said.

"We shall work together for what is good for Sarawak and Malaysia. This is the kind of understanding that will spur Sarawak to greater heights," he said.

Meanwhile, PBB president Abdul Taib Mahmud said the party was determined to fight for the people to fulfil the mandate given to the party.

He said it was of little use if a ruling party failed to fight for the people.

He also said that opposition parties were only interested in grabbing power for themselves and not using it to fight for the people.

The Sarawak people had long rejected this type of politics, he added.

- Bernama

No comments: