Barisan Nasional chairperson Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today assured that his government was committed in bringing progress for the people.

As such, he said, BN would ensure only able candidates who can serve the people with honesty, integrity and efficiency are fielded in the coming general election.

abdullah ahmad badawi pak lah and election annoucement parliament disolve He said that this was to prove to the people that the party was serious in its responsibility to develop the country.

"At the same time, we are aware that we need to work harder because we are adding value to what we do.

"This is extremely important because what we want is progress for the rakyat. This is our commitment," he said at a news conference after chairing the BN council meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre this morning.

He also said he hoped the voters would give the coalition a new mandate in the coming election so that BN can continue to improve its services for the people.

On BN's preparations, Abdullah said all the component parties were ready and would continue to cooperate in the general election.

On seat allocation, Abdullah said: "As it was," and on the candidates list, he said it was not finalised yet.

The Election Commission this morning announced that polling day would be on March 8, with nominations to be held on Feb 24.

Today’s meeting was a star-studded event, graced with the presence of all leaders from the BN component parties.

Below are excerpts of what they had to say about today’s meeting:

MCA President Ong Ka Ting

mca central committee meeting 080108 ong ka ting Like how the BN chairperson has stated, seat allocations are as similar as previous elections. There will be no swap. MCA have overcome all internal issues and we will continue to strive to bring positive elements and development for the people.

We are not an issue-based party but we will always attend to issues that concerns the rakyat and everyone will benefit from this endeavor and this will always be executed under the spirit of BN.

As for DAP, they will always play the racial cards and we will not be swayed to play in the same gallery. Our party will always be a moderate, pragmatic, honest and sincere to the rakyat and we will always do things in the spirit of BN and unity.

We emphasise on unity and not racism and we will always continue to solve problems of the communities through the BN channel.

MIC President S Samy Vellu

umno bn leaders election meeting 140208 samy vellu We will always listen to the advise of the BN chairperson, our leader. We will always be loyal and execute his instructions. This has always been our policy- united always among the component parties to prevail in the coming general elections.

I really feel that we can obtain similar results to the 2004 elections. There will be new faces in the MIC list of candidates and our biggest challenge is to of course win this election.

I don’t think there will be a swing of votes from the Indian community. Indian voters are those at home and not on the streets so I don’t believe that there would be a vote swing coming from the Indian community in this country.

Gerakan Acting President Koh Tsu Koon

I think that the seat allocations discussion still have room for more negotiations. We will nevertheless announce the name of candidates of our party soon. This however is not the time yet. There will be some new faces in our list but I will not disclose their names.