Najib: We need a strong mandate

KUALA LUMPUR : ANYTHING less than a strong mandate for  Barisan Nasional  can  lead to instability in the country, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

This was because there was a need to continue with the current robustness of the country's stock market and strong showing by the ringgit.

Najib said this when asked about several analyses and polls that suggested a likely "hung Parliament" scenario following the 13th General Election on May 5.

"That is not a good outcome for the country. Anything less than a strong mandate will lead to great uncertainty.

"The markets, during the last few days, have become more positive.

"The stock exchange and the ringgit have grown stronger, so I think it bodes well for the general election," Najib told Al Jazeera's Veronica Pedrosa during the Talk to Al Jazeera programme, which started airing yesterday.

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Najib during his interview with ‘Talk to Al Jazeera’, journalist Veronica Pedrosa which was aired last Saturday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak speaks to Veronica Pedrosa in `Talk to Al Jazeera', which was aired last Saturday.

Al Jazeera: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, thank you very much for joining us on "Talk To Al Jazeera". We appreciate that it must be an extraordinarily busy and crucial time for you. There are descriptions of the election ahead as being indeed a struggle for the Malay soul, as it were. Do you think that's a fair enough description?

Najib: Let me put it this way, I think this will be a very hard-fought, robust election but I welcome it because in a sense, it is reflective of how far we have come in the democratic process in Malaysia. We are much more matured in that sense. But as a political party, we have been in power for 55 years (and) within this time we have brought some real changes and development in Malaysia. So although I expect this to be a keenly-fought contest, I am cautiously optimistic that the voters will return the Barisan Nasional (BN) national front back into power.

How do you personally feel about that? You've been in politics since you were 22. You come from a political dynasty.

In that sense (yes) but my father died when I entered politics so he was not there to ensure that I rose in politics. I had to do it my way, albeit with a good family name, I have no doubt about that. That helped but I had to fend for myself. I had to show that I could stand on my own. I'm proud of my personal record because I have risen through the ranks step by step and now I am privileged and honoured to be able to lead this country and my party.