On the back of increasing support from Malaysians representing all walks of life and other positive factors, Barisan Nasional (BN) is confident of returning to power with a two-thirds majority in the 13th general election.

In making his assessment barely 48 hours before polling opens nationwide on Sunday, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said obtaining a two-thirds majority was possible “with a little bit of hard work”.

“In fact, I will be surprised if we didn’t get a two-thirds majority,” a confident Najib told a group of media editors ahead of the polls in Kuala Lumpur today.

Najib, who is heading the BN charge for the first time since taking over as prime minister in 2009, said developments on the ground pointed to BN securing between 140 and 155 parliamentary seats in the much-anticipated election.

The BN needs to secure 112 of 222 parliamentary seats to form a simple majority government while a two-thirds majority entails obtaining 148 parliamentary constituencies.

At the dissolution of Parliament on April 3, the BN controlled 137 parliamentary seats.

In the wide-ranging discussion with the media practitioners, Najib, who is Selangor BN chairperson, was fairly optimistic of BN regaining Selangor from the opposition.

The chances of wresting Kelantan from PAS’ 23-year-rule were getting better, he said, and expected a turnaround in BN’s favour in DAP-held Penang.

Providing an assessment on BN’s chances in retaining the federal administrative capital of Putrajaya which is being contested by BN and PAS, Najib expressed confidence that its electorate comprising mainly civil servants would vote in BN’s favour.

He noted that support for the BN from the Chinese and Indian communities was on the upswing based on the positive vibes that could be felt during his campaign rounds as well as the tremendous response for people-centric initiatives to boost the well-being of Malaysians of every creed and race.

Najib pointed out that the BN government had undertaken numerous initiatives which benefitted the Chinese, and because of this, he did not see any reason for them to withhold support for Barisan.

“A robust economy, the stock market at an all-time high, the currency getting stronger, big projects such as the high speed train, all these have benefitted the Chinese community.

“Even BRIM (1Malaysia People's Aid), they have benefitted from it as aid recipients spend the money at outlets operated by the Chinese,” he said.

Najib reckoned that attention showered on Chinese education, such as the  construction of more Chinese schools, had put the BN in good stead in the eyes of the community.   

Touching on the level of support from the Indian community, Najib said: “They are with the BN now and even Hindraf (a Hindu non-governmental organisation) is with us now.”

On young voters, the prime minister said the majority of them were with the BN which had taken pains to address their concerns by way of implementing youth-centric programmes.

Najib raps DAP for playing racial card

Training his guns on the DAP, Najib urged voters not to be taken in by their mischievous ways in its bid to gain power.

He rapped the opposition party for playing the racial card and making inflammatory comments that could lead to serious racial polarisation in the country, not to mention adversely affecting stability and the business environment.

Reminding voters to think wisely before ticking the ballot papers on Sunday, Najib said so much was at stake in the election that choosing the wrong party to helm the country would see all the painstaking efforts undertaken by the BN to build the nation go down the drain.

He said a vote for the BN would mean a vote for fair policies encompassing all races but this would not be the case if people voted for the opposition.

According to Najib, the market which was already on the upward trend lately would surely scale greater heights if the BN was accorded a bigger mandate by the Malaysian electorate.

Sentiment on Bursa Malaysia has been bullish for the past week on strong buying support from foreign and institutional investors with the index hitting a new all-time high of 1,717.65 points on Tuesday.

Investors expect the market to be given a further boost if the pro-business BN government wins a fresh mandate for another five-year term.

Dealers said foreign investors were confident that BN would be returned to power and this would ensure the continuity of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) which, in the process, would bolster business activity in all sectors, buttressed against an economy with sound fundamentals.

Najib’s session with the editors was attended by Media Prima News and Editorial Operation executive director Ahmad A Talib, NSTP group managing editor Abdul Jalil Hamid and Star Publications executive director and group chief editor Wong Chun Wai.

They were joined by Berita Harian group editor Mior Kamarul Shahid, Utusan Melayu group editor-in-chief Abdul Aziz Ishak, Harian Metro group editor Mustapa Omar and Bernama editor-in-chief Zulkefli Salleh.

- Bernama