LUBOK ANTU: Najib Tun Razak said today the Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) did not have the blessing of the Barisan Nasional (BN) to contest the Lubok Antu parliamentary seat in the 13th general election. SWP’s claim of having fielded its president, Larry Sng, as a BN-friendly candidate in the seat was not at all true, said the prime minister. “I want to confirm that William Nyalau anak Badak is our (BN’s) candidate. We have no other candidate (here). He is my candidate. If anyone else (SWP candidate) claims he is a BN-friendly candidate, it is not true,” he said at a meet-the-people session at the Awing Longhouse in Merindun, here. Najib, who is on an election campaign visit to Sarawak, said the decision of the SWP to contest in the Lubok Antu seat did not reflect its claim to be a BN-friendly party. “If it is truly BN-friendly, it should not be contesting against the BN,” he said. Najib said the undivided support of the people here for William Nyalau as the BN parliamentary candidate in Lubok Antu would contribute to his (Najib’s) continuing to be the prime minister at the federal level. “If you opt for the SWP, it only means that you are not voting for me. The SWP does not contribute to my continuing to be the prime minister. If you vote for PKR, you will only be supporting Anwar Ibrahim,” he said. William Nyalau, the incumbent in Lubok Antu, is facing Larry Sng and Nicholas Bawin Anggat of PKR in a three-cornered contest for the seat. Najib said the SWP tactic of using money to garner votes in Lubok Antu, where the majority of the voters are Iban, showed that the opposition party was degrading the dignity of the people here. “If we vote for him (Larry Sng), we (voters) will lose our dignity and self-worth. The Iban community must safeguard its dignity and self-respect,” he said. Referring to the problems associated with development in Lubok Antu raised by William Nyalau in his speech earlier, Najib said he would include them in the BN manifesto for a resolution after the general election. The problems included a lack of good roads for the people in Ulu Lemanak and Ulu Engkari and the poor state of the buildings of the Lubok Antu and Engkelili district hospitals. Najib said people in rural areas like Lubok Antu should continue to give the mandate to the BN to enable implementation of the rural transformation agenda that would raise their standard of living. “We (the people) need a strong and stable government to continue with this major agenda. The Opposition cannot guarantee rural development. Only the BN can ensure sustainable development,” he said. Najib was welcomed by about 5,000 people from the district upon his arrival at the longhouse. Also present were Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu, Sarawak Land Development Minister Dr James Jemut Masing and Sarawak Housing Minister Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 09:10:26 +0000
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