GE13: Najib: Unlike Anwar, I won’t abandon my people

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says he will defend his Pekan parliamentary seat in the coming general election, unlike Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who is “abandoning his constituents in Permatang Pauh”.

“I would never dream of leaving Pekan,” the Prime Minister said. “I have said it on record that I will, politically speaking, live and die in Pekan,” he said after chairing meetings with Umno supreme council members and Barisan Nasional component parties' presidents at PWTC here yesterday.

Najib was commenting on Anwar's intended move to contest in Perak instead of the Permatang Pauh seat.

He described the Opposition Leader's plan as a sign of insecurity: “I think he is not feeling that secure in Permatang Pauh because he has abandoned those who had supported him for so long.

“That is something that I will never do.”

On Wednesday, Anwar signalled his intention to leave his long-held constituency to contest in Perak but did not specify the seat he was eyeing.

On Anwar's claim that Pakatan Rakyat would make inroads in Sabah, Najib replied: “That is what he thinks. But the people should realise that if he can abandon Permatang Pauh, he can also abandon them (in Sabah or Perak).

“It is loyalty to the people who stood by you that matters in politics ... it is not just about winning.”

Najib also warned all parties to respect the law during the elections, adding that the people should be allowed to make their choice freely and openly.

“I hope they don't pursue this plan (of causing chaos). Do not create a situation which can prevent people from going out to vote,” he said when commenting on reports that some unknown quarters were trying to disrupt the coming elections.

At a separate event in Sentul, Najib said the Government had resolved more than 60,000 citizenship applications, which had been pending between 1997 and 2010.

“Among the promises I had made within 100 days of taking office (in 2009) was to resolve the issues faced by those struggling without proper documentation,” he said after giving out 100 citizenship documents at an event here.

Najib said the Government had also approved 18,162 applications for birth certificates since he took office.

(Source: The Star Online)