Be careful with statements, Pak Lah tells Opposition

Be careful with statements, Pak Lah tells Opposition

Posted by kasee
Saturday, 15 March 2008

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants Opposition parties to be more responsible when making statements in order not to jeopardise racial harmony.

“They must be careful and not make statements to gain popularity among certain races only. Whatever they say, must be done carefully,” he said in an interview with Bernama TV at his official residence Seri Perdana here tonight.

In the 30-minute interview, he advised opposition parties in power in some of the states not to allow any community to feel marginalised and to think hard if they wanted to change policies.

He said this when asked what advice he had for Opposition parties which now have raised several issues that slighted the feelings of certain communities, like the New Economic Policy (NEP) and the special rights of Malays.

“Think it over again and again. When making statements on the NEP, they must consider the meaning conveyed. If you do as you like, it will cause a backlash.

“This is something very important they must understand. Becoming the government is not the same as being the Opposition. Both have different roles, and now they will know it is not easy (to be the government),” he said.

Commenting on the efforts by the Opposition parties to form coalition governments, which already has started to show signs of cracks, Abdullah said: “This is just three parties (DAP, PKR and PAS). We (Barisan Nasional) have 14 parties. I believe the people are watching them very closely now.”

He also asked the Barisan component parties to analyse the results of the election and rectify weaknesses, if any.

“Don't be so demoralised that you feel like giving up. They (component parties which fared badly) must take proactive action to rectify weaknesses and move ahead,” he said.

As for Barisan candidates who won, he said they must serve the people well and pay special attention to the poor.

Asked if internal dissatisfaction in Umno had been one of the causes of the Barisan's poor performance, Abdullah said: “I admit the dropping of some candidates was also a factor that caused the Barisan's campaign to weaken.”

“However, I intend to stick to what I understand, that the people have given a message, that is for me to make the necessary corrections and ensure everything goes smoothly so that Malaysia is a safe and peaceful country for all,” he added. - STAR