KUALA LUMPUR: The following is the English translation of the
transcript of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's interview with
Media Prima News and Editorial Operations executive director Datuk Ahmad
A. Talib on TV3's 2013 Mandate programme tonight (May 4).
Question: Welcome to the Mandate Studio, Datuk Seri. I notice that
Datuk Seri is busy traversing the country, hardly taking any break.
Where do you get your energy from?
PM: Firstly, I have been training myself. I have done workouts at the
gym, two or three times a week, I have engaged a trainer because health
and physical condition are important to determine our fitness.
However,
what is more important is our commitment and determination to do the
best because I know I'm shouldering the trust of the people and the
country. When I assumed office as the prime minister, I had made a
pledge to myself, to the people that I will do my level best.
Question: Datuk Seri looks slim
PM: Thank you. That's what I hope.
Question: Datuk Seri, you have travelled across the country and met
hundreds of thousands of people, what actually touches your heart?
PM: Not only the response was very lively. In some places, it was
ecstatic, the response was overwhelming. That's what touched my feeling
when I saw a large crowd and they greeted me, some of them did not want
to let go my hand. So, thank God, it seems the people's response to the
BN leadership has reached a confidence level.
Question: So it gives Datuk Seri the drive to continue the struggle. In
your journey from Sabah to Perlis, how do you gauge the response or
feedback from the people?
PM: Firstly, after taking into account the response that the deputy
prime minister, my colleagues and I received, I can attest that our
aspiration to get a two-thirds majority, God willing, there were signs
that this can be achieved. In the meantime, I don't want to say that
we're too complacent. We have two more days left, we must do what has
been directed by the party. The polls conducted by us and independent
bodies, including universities seem to indicate BN's victory.
Question: Datuk Seri was asked by reporters about your opportunity and
you mentioned that BN was cautiously optimistic. Has the cautious level
been raised to a confidence level.
PM: I used the word cautiously optimistic because I do not want to be
seen too arrogant or portrayed myself as being overconfident. Instead, I
want to say with a sense of humility, that there is a good chance for
BN to achieve the two-thirds majority. And when I went to the ground
during the campaign period, the level of confidence grew, particularly
when I met voters. So, I am still cautiously optimistic because I do not
want the people to say ah, this chap is overconfident. Never mind, what
is important now, we focus on work that we can still do.
Question: Datuk Seri, the journalism fraternity, including me, received
similar feedback from the people who attested that voters who used to
distant themselves from BN before were coming back. Does Datuk Seri feel
the same way?
PM: Yes, I think so and in my visits, one of my frequently asked
questions was: 'is the situation today better than 2008?' All of them
said it is better now. For example, in Kelantan yesterday, I've got a
spontaneous response from the people who said it is better than in 2008,
and in some places, they said even better than in 2004. Although I
realised that the mood and sentiment are good, there are still more
factors that we have take into account to ensure that everything goes
according to plan.
Question: Datuk Seri, let's move on to Kedah. Kedah menteri besar is
at loggerheads with his colleagues and followers, they are not moving in
tandem. If they were no change in Kedah, will it suffer the same fate
as Kelantan?
PM: Kedah government can be said to be dysfunctional for a long time.
Actually, the menteri besar and state executive councillors have split
and argued openly. So, Kedah government is already crippled and has not
been able to meet the people's expectations. So, this is the reason why
I'm confident, God willing, the people are ready to return Kedah to BN.
Question: Datuk Seri, you have conveyed similar message to Kedah like
in others states - the transformation agenda is not possible if states
like Kedah and Kelantan are not with the federal government to implement
the programme.
PM: This is precisely why we need the federal government and state
governments to move in tandem. If state governments do not cooperate,
they can prevent major projects from being implemented, so the national
transformation agenda must be anchored to the federal government with
the state governments being led by the same party.
Question: Datuk Seri, Selangor is one of the hottest battleground. What can be drawn after five years under PKR?
PM: In Selangor, many are disillusioned with empty promises made in
2008. More than 2,000 single mothers want to sue the state government
for not giving a monthly allowance as promised. In many ways, many
people feel they were deceived by Pakatan Rakyat's promises. Secondly,
Selangor and the Federal Territory made up 60 per cent of the country's
GDP, largely in the Klang Valley. So, if we cannot ensure that Selangor
and the federal government are led by the same party, the country's
development and the national transformation agenda will falter. Just
look at the water issue, how our plan to provide an effective and
long-term solution to water woes being derailed by the state
government.
Question: Why are they doing that, Datuk Seri?
PM: Because they do not want to give the credit to BN. That's the
reason why. Instead of solving the problem, they want to find ways to
take over water concession companies. What's wrong with allowing us to
build the tunnel, water treatment plant, we have provided the
allocation, but they do not want to issue the development order.
Question: Datuk Seri, this is the worst ever political campaign that I had covered. What is your comment?
PM: At the outset, a Molotov cocktail was hurled, then an explosive
was detonated at one location in Penang. Two bombs, actually. One of
them exploded while another didn't. And many other mischief were
created, which shows that they want to cause fear among the BN machinery
and voters. They know, if many voters keep away, it can affect BN
chances. Normally, it the voter turnout is high, it will work in BN's
favour. So they resorted to such acts. They do not walk the talk despite
giving the impression that the are championing democracy. In a
democracy, we must be willing to accept differences of opinion because
it is the principle of democracy and eventually, the people will decide.
When (Datuk) Michelle Yeoh supported me publicly, she was vilified
online to make her deemed highly controversial for supporting my
leadership and BN. Why this was done although this is a democratic
process. They want democracy in Malaysia. They say Malaysia is not the
so-called matured democracy, but when some threw their support behind
BN, they were attacked.
Question: Datuk Seri, BN has been accused of bringing in thousands of
people by planes from Sabah, Sarawak and elsewhere to vote for BN in the
polls. What is your comment?
PM: We have no phantom voters because the names of voters in the
electoral roll have been verified by these voters. Some voters from the
peninsula are working in Sabah, Sarawak and there are Sabahans,
Sarawakians working in the peninsula. When the time comes for voting,
they want to return home to vote, they want to use their right as
enshrined in the Constitution, what's wrong with that? Is this an
offence? No. The question is they are voters living outside (the
constituency). So are Malaysians working in Singapore, going home to
vote, and this is being done by opposition parties.
We are not saying
anything. This is their right. So, what is the fuss when some people
want to go back to their hometown to vote whether in Kuala Lumpur or
Pekan, what's wrong? That's his right. So, to me this is not an issue,
it was raised intentionally, a political ploy, actually.
(Source: http://www.nst.com.my)
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