KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional’s victories in the Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar by-elections is a testament to the people’s confidence and trust in the coalition, as well as a rejection of an incoherent opposition.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the two huge-majority wins, and BN’s landslide win of 72 out of 82 seats in the Sarawak election last month, were also a rejection of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s lies.
“They (the people) rejected his unworkable coalition of former
enemies, and they rejected the incoherent opposition, partly because of their (the parties’) alignment with Tun Mahathir,” said Najib in a statement tonight.
“Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad turned the by-elections into a referendum on my leadership. He campaigned for his former enemies in the opposition, dishonourably smearing his own party with crude language and claiming to speak on behalf of the people. But, this betrayal was motivated by personal interest, not the national interest.”
He said he was grateful to the people for putting their faith back in the ruling coalition.
“As a mid-term government being targeted by unprecedented politically motivated slander, we are especially humbled that we received such landslide results. Our official majority in Kuala Kangsar is was 6,969, compared with 1,082 in the 2013 general election, and 9,191 in Sungai Besar, compared with 399 in 2013.
“I would like to thank all the BN machinery, well led by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. BN succeeded because we worked as a team. We prevailed, and, if we continue to work tirelessly for the people and remain united, we will always prevail.”
“As long as I am prime minister, the interests of the people will come first. We will deliver on our promises to them. My priority will continue to be the economic welfare, social wellbeing and security of all Malaysians.”