PAHANG Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said today there was no reason for the people to support PKR advisor Anwar Ibrahim when his comrades themselves have deserted him.

He said the people should make their own evaluation because those who had distanced themselves from Anwar were people in the likes of Chandra Muzaffar, Sidek Baba and senator Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, who had been close to him.

Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said this only showed that Anwar did not have strong and effective support from people around him.

"The leaders who have quit PKR are those who have been close to Anwar. I find this a little weird. I can understand if they are people not so close to him.

"As voters, we must ask ourselves. If such a leader has been rejected by those around him, why must we support (him)," he said at the ground breaking for the Raub campus of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Pahang.

The caretaker prime minister said many individuals close to Anwar at one time had stated that they lost faith in him because he had no credibility as a leader.

In fact, he said, Chandra had issued a statement claiming that if Anwar was appointed the prime minister, there would be chaos.

BN most capable

"I am not saying this. I am just quoting (from reports) and conveying it to the people here. Choose a leader with credibility to helm the country," he said.

Najib said the people should elect BN candidates in the general election tomorrow because only the coalition's leaders were capable of administering Malaysia.

The BN chairperson again called on the people to give the coalition a fresh mandate to enable it to continue with its national transformation agenda with greater intensity.

"This is the first time, as the prime minister, that I am seeking a mandate from the people. I want to carry on with the trust ... the task of transformation is not over yet," he said.

He said he was convinced that the 55-year experience of administering the country enabled the BN government to draw up plans to take Malaysia to greater heights, and to be well-liked and well-respected internationally.

The prime minister gave the assurance that over the next five years, Malaysia would be in a better position compared to the last four years, including in terms of peace, stability and progress.

Najib assured all the communities that their welfare would be well taken care of, including in terms of education, if the BN was given a fresh mandate to administer the country.

He reminded the Malays not to be overly concerned about voting for non-Malay candidates of the BN component parties.

DAP discriminates against Malays

The prime minister said the BN was a coalition which made decisions based on trust and mutual respect among the component parties.

"(For example), when we champion the rights of Muslims, the MCA has never objected; only the DAP has done so," he said.

Najib said that in Penang, for example, the people were disappointed with the actions and policies of the DAP-led Penang government which he added discriminated against the Malays.

He urged voters to reject former Umno leader Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz who was contesting the Raub parliamentary seat on a DAP ticket against the BN candidate Hoh Khai Mun of the MCA.

"It is not necessarily so that the Malays should vote for him (Mohd Ariff) just because he is a Malay. Vote for the party and not the individual. The BN is a party that can be trusted, unlike the DAP," he said.

Mohd Ariff was the elected representative for the Pulau Manis state seat in the Pekan parliamentary constituency from 2004 to 2008, and he was not popular in the constituency, said Najib.

On the UiTM Pahang campus in Raub, the caretaker prime minister said the RM230-million campus, which can accommodate 3,000 students, was expected to be completed in 2015.

Also present at the event were caretaker Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob and UiTM vice-chancellor Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar.

- Bernama