Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today warned Barisan Nasional (BN) members and its election machinery not to be over-confident with the forecast of a big victory.

He said the prediction of a big win could also work to its disadvantage.

"Of course we feel confident of winning big with God's approval but I don't want our machinery to feel that victory is already in the bag and that they no longer have to work hard.

"We still have to do all the work that needs to be done, especially meeting the voters and taking them out to cast their votes," he was quoted as saying in a Bernama report.

Najib was responding to a report that international rating agency Morgan Stanley had forecasted that BN will sweep 80 percent of the parliamentary seats in the coming polls.

"This forecast is a message to our machinery and supporters that there is still time for us to work and do everything we can," he added.

Interior issues

Asked to comment on the issues raised in the interior and remote areas, Najib said the people there wanted representatives who could fulfil their needs and aspirations.

"Based on the BN's achievements, I believe that we can fill their hopes because they need a government that can champion their lot," he added.

Earlier, when addressing smallholders in Pekan, Pahang he reminded them that the government always had their interest at heart and had made efforts to raise their living standard.

"Every week at the cabinet meeting all the leaders sit down and discuss ways to get markets for the country's commodities," he said.

The deputy premier also attended a function in Pulau Rumput where he presented donations to senior citizens, single mothers and the poor.

Najib will be defending the Pekan parliamentary constituency against PAS candidate Brig General (R) Zakaria Dahlan.

In the 1999 election, he defeated another PAS candidate Ramli Mohamed by a wafer thin majority of 241 votes.

Najib bagged 13,148 votes as opposed to Ramli's 12,907. The Pekan parliamentary seat has 51,406 registered voters, of which 89 percent are Malay voters, 3.2 percent Chinese and 1.5 percent Indians.

Voting rights

In another development, the Human Resources Department urged employers to provide time off for their employees to vote on Sunday.

The department said employers who refused or obstructed employees from exercising their voting rights would be violating the law under the Election Offences Act 1954, Section 25(3).

If found guilty, they could face a fine of up to RM500 or six months jail.

Employers were told to prepare a time-table for their employees so that they could go out and vote without interrupting work operations.

Its director-general Ismail Abdul Rahim said employees who were not allowed to go out and vote could file a written complain at the nearest Human Resources Department.