Umno's struggles is to bring development to the Muslim community, which is the majority group in the country, although efforts to assist the non-Muslim communities will not be neglected, said Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

As such, he said, Umno and the other BN component parties were determined to develop the nation for the benefit of everyone in the country.

When the government mentioned that it would develop Islam in the country, it did not mean that the non-Muslims were left out because Islam's policy was to give fair treatment to everyone, he said at the 'jamuan rakyat 1Malaysia' in Kuala Sanglang, near Kangar today.

deputy prime minister muhyiddin yassin at masjid kampung sentosa batang kali 020410 04 Also present at the gathering were Perlis Menteri Besar Md Isa Sabu, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and the state

assemblyperson for Tambun Tulang, Shahidan Kassim.

He said the Muslims in the country need not have any doubt about Umno's efforts to develop an Islamic nation because Malaysia was already a Muslim nation.

"We are certainly a Muslim nation. This has been accepted by many other Muslim nations in the world. If PAS campaigns about wanting a Muslim nation, we already have it.

"Ever since independence, our main focus was to champion the cause of Islam. This was our focus... we want to develop the Muslims in the field of economy," he said.

Progress with good income

Muhyiddin said what was important now was how the people could cooperate with the government, that is the BN, because the government had set a target to become a developed nation by the year 2020, where the country was not only developed but the people too earned a high income.

"The prime minister (Najib Abdul Razak) has already drawn up the programme and I assist him. We want to place the country on an equal footing with the other developed nations.

"Efforts to develop the infrastructure are no longer a problem because we have been giving attention to it and such efforts are ongoing.

"We want to see the people in the country progress with good income," he said.

Earlier, Muhyiddin called on Arpah Hashim, 83, who is sick and bed-ridden at her home in Kampung Belakang Surau, Kuala Sanglang.

Arpah, who receives a monthly subsidy of RM300 from the Social Welfare Department, is being looked after by her daughter Damasyarah Murad, 57, who earns a living as a tailor besides receiving her late husband's pension of RM200 per month.

- Bernama