Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today urged the people to support the government in the defence of the nation so as to avert incidents such as the Sulu militant intrusion in Sabah.

He said that though the nation had been peaceful and safe all this while, the people could not take things lightly as the enemy was bent on creating havoc in the country.

"In the (Lahad Datu) incident, our heroes (security forces) were killed. There is price to pay for peace. It was something unexpected.

NONE "I want the people to be with the government in the defence of the nation so that the enemy cannot trespass into our country," he said at a breakfast meeting with about 1,000 people in Kampung Nelayan, Teluk Kumbar, near Georgetown.

Muhyiddin said the situation in Lahad Datu was under control, with the security forces having launched an offensive against the Sulu militants.

"What is important is unity. We may be different in appearance but our desire is one - to have unity to ensure peace and prosperity in the country.

"We have to maintain unity in line with the 1Malaysia concept so that such incidents as the Lahad Datu intrusion do not recur. Our enemies want to create havoc so that they can penetrate the country easily," he said.

Muhyiddin also said that 1Malaysia was not a mere slogan but an assurance for the people to live a comfortable, prosperous and peaceful life.

The country's leaders always strived to help the people to ensure that they had a better life in the future, he said, adding that life today was much better than 10 or 20 years ago.

The deputy prime minister also announced an allocation of RM500,000 to upgrade the fishermen's jetty in Kampung Nelayan.

Back BN too

Meanwhile, he urged the people to continue supporting BN which he said had a track record of administrative experience while the opposition faced difficulty even in fulfilling promises.

He said the people should not gamble away their future by giving the opposition pact the mandate in the next general election because it had yet to fulfill promises in the states under its administration.

"You (the people) must ponder. Do not make a mistake in voting. Do not give your vote to (Oppositon Leader) Anwar Ibrahim. He says the BN has administered (the country) for a long time and there must be a change.

"But, since the BN has administered for more than 55 years, we definitely have the administrative experience. Why must we change when the economy has expanded and is stable, and the country is safe, peaceful and prosperous?" he said.

Muhyiddin gave the assurance that the government would continue to implement all its policies well-received by the people.

"We will continue to implement the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M), school aid, aid for fishermen and such. These are not given as an election gimmick. We gave the aid last year when there was no election then," he said.

Muhyiddin said it was unnecessary to place the administration of the country with another party, whose capability to administer better than the BN was in doubt, just because of disappointment over minor issues.

"I realise that the government also has its weaknesses and shortcomings. Let's not change a government, which has been a caring one ensuring the welfare of the people, just because of disappointment with one or two issues.

"We have not been able to meet the people's demands in some matters due to limited resources but various forms of aid have been channelled to ease the people's burden," he said.

No need for Penang tunnel 

Muhyiddin said the opposition pact had made all kinds of promises in the last general election, but had yet to fulfill most of them.

"In Penang, for example, why is (Chief Minister) Lim Guan Eng so special to the people in the state. He promises the moon and the stars and so on, but so far he has not done anything.

"It is the same story in Selangor. They came out with a manifesto. The people have not got anything so far from the promises. The people have begun to question. We have to know that they (the opposition pact) are not qualified to administer the country," he said. 

The deputy prime minister also questioned the Penang government's proposed undersea tunnel to link the island and mainland and said it was unnecessary.

"The Penang Bridge is there. The second one is not open yet. Why the need for the tunnel?" he said.

- Bernama