Najib pushes back against opposition in Penang
(ST) – He makes pledges to Chinese voters, saying BN is a government for all
PRIME Minister Najib Razak sought to push back the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) charge in Penang yesterday, as he targeted shortcomings in the opposition alliance’s strongest bastion to swing votes to his ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
Making his first visit to the state in the election campaign, Datuk Seri Najib pledged to refurbish and build more low-cost houses, and also made a pitch to Chinese voters, who make up more than half the voters there.
He said Penang’s well-known Han Chiang College will be upgraded to university status and offer degree courses in affiliation with a university, and will receive RM1 million (S$400,000) in funding.
“I’m deeply committed that every Malaysian has access to quality education,” he said. “We are a government for all.”
Mr Najib also promised that his Umno party will not take the Penang chief minister’s post, which is traditionally held by the head of the BN’s Chinese-based Gerakan party.
His visit to Penang came as more than 230,000 police and navy personnel took part in advance voting yesterday. Indelible ink was used for the first time, in a new measure aimed at reducing voter fraud.
On Monday, the PR ramped up its campaign in Penang at a rousing mega rally, with tens of thousands of people thronging the Han Chiang school field, an iconic venue credited with galvanising opposition supporters in 2008.
The BN, not to be outdone, held its own large-scale gathering last night. Thousands gathered in a police camp on the island, in a glitzy event attended by local celebrities.
Mr Najib maintained that it was possible to recapture Penang from the PR because the state government had not lived up to expectations.
The PR won the state with a two-thirds majority in 2008, and is widely tipped to retain control.
“There is a new spirit, which is more vigorous, among the people. The wind of change is blowing here,” he told supporters during a stop in Kepala Batas, the former seat of former prime minister Abdullah Badawi.
He hit out at the lack of affordable housing in Penang, which has become a thorny issue in the state. Penang island, in particular, has seen the launch of many high-end private properties in recent years.
Property prices have doubled in many areas, creating unhappiness among poorer communities, especially the Malays. The BN has blamed the PR state government for what it called “reckless and haphazard” development.
The BN, however, cares about the poor, said Mr Najib, who announced that the government will build 10,000 affordable housing units on the island for those living in dilapidated low-cost flats.
