Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email Najib: BN component members must support candidate for Ijok
http://www.nst.com.my/NST/Article/vArt?did=20070416163130
By : BERNAMA
Email to friend Print article KUALA LUMPUR, MON.: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today said that all members of Barisan Nasional (BN) components, especially the MIC, must accept and fully support the candidate nominated to defend the Ijok state seat.
The deputy prime minister, who is also the BN deputy chairman, said the decision of whom would be nominated was made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after a deep scrutiny.
“The important thing is the decision that we make on the candidate is to select one who is thought to be the most suitable to ensure victory for the BN. So, as party members, we have to accept the decision. That’s the meaning of us serving the party and abiding by the party’s principles,” he told reporters after delivering a keynote address at the Malaysian Smart School International Conference here.
He was commenting on a threat by Kuala Selangor MIC chief P.
Thirumoorthy to resign from the post if he was not named as the BN candidate for the Ijok by-election. The seat fell vacant following the death of Datuk K. Sivalingam, 59, of the MIC in Chennai, India, on April 4. The Election Commission has set Thursday for nomination and April 28 for polling in the event of a contest.
“During elections, we cannot do something like that,” Najib said of Thirumoorthy’s threat.
On the BN candidate for the by-election, he said: “I want the candidate that we will announce today to be a candidate for all races in Ijok. We’ve decided that in this constituency, the MIC will contest but we all know that this constituency has many Malay and also Chinese voters besides Indian voters.
“So, our candidate must be one who will serve the interests of all races and is willing to go down to the field and meet all groups in Ijok,” he said.
Najib also said he did not want the selection of the candidate to be turned into a racial issue by the opposition.
“I know the opposition will try to exploit it,” he said.
He also advised voters not to look at the race of the candidate, but cast their votes based on the success achieved by the party and government.
