TANJUNG KARANG: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the political situation in Malaysia would not be turbulent like in West Asia and North Africa as the Malaysian government was not despotic but always sensitive to the current needs of the people.The Prime Minister said if the people were dissatisfied with the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, BN could not have won the Merlimau and Kerdau by-elections in Melaka and Pahang respectively on March 6 with increased majority votes.
"As the ruling government, we are aware that the people's yardstick for success is not as simple as before. Political development is not everything," he said.
Najib said there were enough development projects in states like Selangor but people in the urban areas wished to see social justice and a government administration that was efficient, transparent and free from corruption and power abuse.
He said the government had proven its seriousness in this area by, for instance, setting up the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the murder of Teoh Beng Hock, the political aide of Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, after several quarters were dissatisfied with the coroner's open verdict at the end of the inquest.
"The government decided on an open proceeding so that the public could evaluate the effort at seeking truth and justice.
"It's not only Teoh's case, as the people including those in Tanjung Karang would also want to know the identity of the Y male reported in the sodomy case involving Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim."
Najib said truth and justice could be achieved if doubts were removed.
On another note, he said the BN government understood the pulse of the people and that they had four main needs-reasonable cost of living, affordable homes, good education and health, and affordable transport cost.
"These are bread and butter issues," he said, adding that the government had also set up 1Malaysia Development Bhd which, through its social service project, financed the rehabilitation of dilapidated homes of the hardcore poor.
According to him, 10,000 homes in 100 selected parliamentary constituencies would be repaired and restored at a maximum cost of RM5,000 for each unit.
Najib said the government needed to manage the country's administration efficiently to generate additional income which could be distributed to the rural as well as urban poor and low-income earners.
He said the Nadi Kasih programme was a direct form of government assistance to the people compared with the opposition's contribution of RM100 to each poor person per year, but with so much hoopla.
Najib said the people understood BN as a party that looked after the people's welfare and which had a long history of serving and doing good for the people, and this would continue into the future.
He said some quarters needed not look at the signs in the Middle East, but at the good signs from BN's victory in the Bagan Pinang, Hulu Selangor, Batu Sapi, Merlimau and Kerdau by-elections that could be replicated in Selangor which was now under opposition rule.
The prime minister also said that the choice of Tanjung Karang as the host for the launching of the Nadi Kasih programme which had commenced in February was because "this parliamentary constituency is a BN stronghold in Selangor".
"From this stronghold, the overflow will reach every corner of the state so that our aspiraton to return Selangor to BN will become a reality."
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