PM: They had 'tears in their eyes' when thanking me

The Prime Minister may refuse to share the date of the next general election, but judging by  his Selangor roadtrip today, one would imagine it is not too far away.

Kicking off his daytrip in Ijok this morning, PM Najib Abdul Razak went on the road to prove to Selangorians that it is time to set the Pakatan Rakyat government packing.

Speaking to about 700 people at Padang Hillcrest in Gombak, his final destination for the day, a candid Najib said that Ijok was especially chosen as a starting point because it is how held by Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

Working the multiracial crowd, mostly wearning BN T-shirts, the PM said: “Ijok is held by the MB so it's a good thing I was there...so we can win over Ijok and other constituencies to set up the new government in Selangor. Love Selangor, trust BN!”

He told the audience, many of whom were elderly, that everywhere he went today, people had welcomed with warm handshakes, with some “not even wanting to let go”.

'Tears in their eyes'

In Ijok, he said, pensioners whom he had sat next to during breakfast had “tears in their eyes” when they thanked him for remembering them in the Budget 2012, which Najib tabled to Parliament on Friday.

Peddling the bonuses announced in the budget, Najib asked the crowd, who were spotted singing along to the 1Malaysia song, if they had received the welfare benefits promised by the Pakatan government.

“ Ilek (Nothing). There's nothing left to say. This is obvious proof that we are the government that cares for the welfare of all Malaysians,” he told the audience who were carrying packets of food and drinks.

The PM had earlier arrived from Rawang via bus, and was accompanied by a group of flag-waving motorcyclists, some of whom laughed out loud when a lorrydriver passing by yelled out “Long live PAS”.

Gombak Setia, where the PM was treated to nasi lemak at Sekinchan Ikan Bakar, is held by PAS, while the parliamentary constituency of Gombak is held by PKR deputy president Azmin Ali.

The PM also used the opportunity to slam Pakatan, saying that unlike BN, their leaders were not democractically elected.

“They even have the title 'Lifelong observer'. What is that? Leaders should be elected through brances, divisions and then at the central level.

“They say they are democratic? I say they are demo-crazy,” he said, while a member of the audience pipped in to yell 'baling kerusi' (throwing chairs) to poke fun at PKR's shambolic party elections.

Thousands flood Rawang

In PKR-held Rawang, thousands flooded the small town, located within the Selayang Parliament constituency, two hours before the PM was scheduled to arrive to get a glimpse of the premier.

About 2,000 people pushed through to shake the PM's hand when he eventually arrived, an hour after schedule as he had earlier attended wedding where the bride and groom were late, to the kompang, Indian drums and lion dance.  

Najib also reminded the people of Rawang that his hope is to build a progressive an modern society.

“We brought about political transformation including proposing to abolish the Internal Security Act, the Restricted Residence Act and Banishment Act,” he said.

“This means we uphold the principle of rule of law. We will make sure that no one will be held under suspicion, but without proof that a crime has been committed,” he said.

Also distributed at the event was the graphic novel Transformasi Najib which depicts Najib's formative years until he became prime minister.

A comic entitled ' Tranformasi v Reformasi' featuring Najib and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim was also given out, besides packets of food and drinks.

Also present were BN component parties Selangor chiefs and BN deputy liaison chief of Selangor Noh Omar.

“Wherever the PM went today, he received a tremdendous welcome from the rakyat. We plan to take the PM on more bus trips... maybe five more, and if he agrees to do so, I am sure Selangor can be ours again,” Noh said.