Najib: I've delivered change, no need for Pakatan's change

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today said that BN under his leadership has delivered real change and exhorted the people not to risk trying the change promised by the opposition.

“Under the leadership of BN, I can not only promise but deliver process and change. In the last three years, we have delivered real progress and change in this country,” he told a gathering of some 3,000 Kolej Tunku Abdul Rahman (KTAR) alumni at an appreciation dinner tonight.

This, he said, was in contrast to the change promised by the opposition which entails uncertainty.

“Change is the best word, every politician in the country and around the world use the clarion call for change... But let me say what we truly want is not change for the sake of change but change for the better - real meaningful change.

“We want real, systematic, organised and planned change and not something that will lead to greater uncertainty,” he told the gathering at KTAR's main campus in Setapak.

Among the progress delivered was the country’s ability to defy global trends to record significant growth at 5.4 percent in the last quarter alone as well as the economic and government transformation programmes, said Najib.

“We don’t believe in making promises that we cannot fulfil. I agree that if the (opposition’s manifesto) Buku Jingga is implemented, we will be bankrupt in two years. 

“If you add up their promises to abolish PTPTN, to provide free education, to abolish toll and raise household income to RM4,000, to lower vehicle prices and petrol prices and to increase royalty Sabah and Sarawak by 20 percent, just look at the facts,” he said.

Najib stressed that there was no such thing as a “free lunch” and implementing such policies including free education would mean increasing taxes on the people.

“Let us not be taken in to such promises of the sun, moon and galaxy. You can fool some people some of the time but not all the people all the time.

“You are wise people, graduates of KTAR, you are thinking people of the community. You wan a government that can deliver stability, progress and prosperity and this is a government I pledge and will do even better in years to come,” he said.

Najib also noted that KTAR was a testament of MCA’s contribution to the country.

This was the second time the premier was given a rock star-welcome when he visited KTAR in July this year where he had announced government recognition of some 74 courses offered by the college. 

The dinner tonight among others, was to express gratitude for that announcement.

‘Opposition leaders also product of MCA’s college’

Earlier, MCA president Chua Soi Lek, who is also KTAR committee chairperson, boasted that 60 percent of accountants and chartered secretaries were from KTAR and the college is expected to produce nearly 200,000 graduates by next year.

“Unfortunately the opposition has belittled and run down KTAR, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, MCA and BN. They said that this is a testimony to the failure of our education system, they said shame on us.

“But the opposition has contributed nothing to education and are only full of slogans, political spinning and street demonstration. We call it all thunder, lightning but no rain. They have not even built a kindergarten, let alone a college. Shame on you!” he said.

Chua also noted that even prominent faces in the opposition such as Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and Kubang Kerian MP Salahuddin Ayub had been KTAR students.

He then proceeded to rip Pakatan for its incoherence and asked if they crowd would rather prefer leaders from Pakatan or BN.

“I ask you a simple question, would you have (PAS spiritual leader) Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, (PAS president) Abdul Hadi Awang, (PKR supremo) Anwar Ibrahim, or ‘Ah Jib Gor’,” he said.

Despite the lukewarm reception to a political speech, the crowd responded in the positive for ‘Ah Jib Gor’ - the premier’s nickname among the Chinese community which means ‘Brother Najib’.

Pointing out that the government has contributed RM766 million to KTAR since its inception, Chua urged the alumni to support the premier’s transformation effort.