Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today said that gaining a two-thirds majority in the Sarawak assembly will be a ‘bonus’.
Speaking to reporters in the Malay-majority Sadong Jaya constituency, Najib said this is because BN’s aim is to form a government, which only requires a simple majority.
“Our target is to form a government. That is the minimum. Two-thirds majority is a bonus... because with (two-thirds) it provides stability.
“But we don't have to look at specifics. In any election the numbers go up and down,” he said.
He was responding to a question on Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s statement yesterday that he is confident of maintaining two-thirds majority on the back or rural and semi-rural votes.
Najib, who was feted like a bridegroom with a kompang and bunga manggar escort on arrival today, conceded that BN faces a tough battle in urban areas and that the challenge to take over the state is "probably the toughest in the history of Sarawak politics".
As such, BN component parties from Peninsular Malaysia are in the state to provide reinforcement.
"BN from the peninsula is here as a family to help our candidates so that Sarawak will remain under BN,” he told reporters.
"We cannot deny that the urban seats are areas where we are tested the most... (But) we have credible candidates. If the (voters) don't look at this and are merely voting to protest, then I don't know..."
BN won all but eight of the 71 seats in the state assembly in the last state election held in 2006.
The PM was, however, defensive when asked if the aggressive BN billboards - atypical of BN Sarawak - which have emerged throughout Sarawak are the work of the peninsula-based component parties.
Some warn voters that voting for PKR is akin to voting in an Islamic state while others display photographs of former PKR elected representatives who have defected, posed with the question ‘When will you leave PKR?’
"This is politics... DAP is rough too in their campaigns. You should ask them first. I don't know why they are making a big fuss about Peninsular Malaysia BN leaders here. Is Lim Kit Siang from Sarawak?
"I am the prime minister of Malaysia. Lim Guan Eng is abandoning his post as Chief Minister of Penang to be here.”
Asked if the cyber-attacks which have disabled news portal Malaysiakini since yesterday and whistleblower website Sarawak Report are a reflection of BN's fears of losing urban seats, the PM said: "I don't know about that."
Heat on PAS
Earlier, the PM told a crowd of about 1,000 - most of who raised their hands enthusiastically when asked if they will vote for BN – that PAS has no capability to execute change.
He reminded them that Sarawak became more developed after it joined Sabah and Malaya to form Malaysia in 1962 - a move that PAS had resisted.
"We must know our history," he said, before announcing an allocation of RM55 million under the 10th Malaysia Plan to deal with low water pressure in the area.
Low pressure had led to dry taps at the District Office where Najib was hosted today.
He had recently announced allocations of RM2.1 million for a school and RM200,000 for a mosque in Sadong Jaya, which was previously won by PBB heavyweight Nancy Shukri.
Newcomer and district engineer Aidel Lariwoo is hoping to take her place, but going against him in the Malay-majority area is PAS local boy Abang Eddy Abang Fauzi.
Sarawak will vote on April 16.
