Najib: BN continues to be a brand that is accepted

(Bernama) – Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Barisan Nasional (BN), as a brand, will continue to receive public acceptance as long as its product and services fulfill the people’s requirement.

The Prime Minister said the success of the Barisan Nasional Youth Job Fair (BNYJF) at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), here proved that the BN brand continued to be accepted especially among the young generation.
   
“This is what is called its input and if anyone has any doubt in the beginning, that the BN may no longer be marketable, their doubts have certainly been uncalled for because the BNYJF received very positive response,” he said when closing the three-day programme today.
   
The branding concept, said Najib who is also the Umno president and BN chairman, could be applied in the general election too especially in producing ‘winnable candidates’ who could ensure victory in the next general election.
   
He said this included ensuring that the candidate selected could provide good service to the people and fulfilled the pledges made to the rakyat.

“The BN brand will pose a problem if what is provided is different from what has been portrayed. We have to work hard to ensure that the BN brand achieves the level expected by the rakyat,” he said.
   
Also present were BN Youth chairman Khairy Jamaluddin, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong and Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan.
   
The BNYJF, which was initiated in March, has been held in various states such as Kedah, Perak, Melaka, Sabah and Kuala Lumpur and provides more than 70,000 job opportunities with 24,000 vacancies having been filled.
   
Najib said the response given to the carnival refuted allegations by the opposition that the BN, which has ruled the country ever since independence, no longer enjoyed public acceptance.
   
At the function, the BN chairman also launched the BN Youth career portal which provides guidance to the young generation on employment, business and the national agenda which would be fully functional early next year.

Meanwhile, Khairy said the job carnival was among the approaches adopted by BN Youth in getting closer to the young generation.
   
“The carnival is a solution, ownership of the first home was also one of our efforts towards this end. In planning our strategy, we have also emphasised the inclusiveness and relevancy factors, and not merely for our own satisfaction,” he said.
   
“What we do today, is to capture the imagination of the young generation. We already have a winnable PM (Prime Minister) and what we need to do now is (to have a) winnable BN,” he said.
   
He said the carnival was capable of giving employment to one out of seven visitors (1:7 success ratio).