Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today urged people to be self-employed rather than depending on the government and the private sector for employment.

He said if they worked hard to make a living by doing business, their business would flourish, they would be employing more workers to meet the demand for their products and at the same time helping the county reduce the unemployment rate.

"We encourage our graduates to become bosses, not coolies," he was quoted as saying by Bernama . The premier said this during the launch of the Perkampungan Hadhari Kelantan 2007.

Also present were his wife, Jeanne Abdullah, and Kelantan Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders.

Abdullah said the government, on its part, provided various facilities and programmes for the people to develop their own business.

He said the government's move was in line with the Islam Hadhari (Civilisational Islam) objective to focus on human capital development.

The premier said through business, the people could arm themselves with knowledge and gain experience in the field that they venture into.

This would meet the Islam Hadhari demand for quality manpower resources.

PAS' rhetoric rejected

Abdullah also praised women entrepreneurs for their discipline in settling their loans.

"I've been informed that more than 90 percent of women entrepreneurs repay their loans. If everyone can emulate them, we can visualise a developed and progressive Malaysia in the future," he said.

In a related development, Kelantan Umno liaison committee chairperson Annuar Musa said the narrow rhetoric of PAS against Islam Hadhari, which was mooted by Abdullah, is rejected by a large number of people in the state.

He said the tens of thousands of people who visited the Perkampungan Hadhari 2007 over the past two days was testimony to this.

"The people of Kelantan know that Islam Hadhari can bring the country and Islam towards a noble civilisation," he said.

Kelantan is currently ruled by the Islamic-based PAS with a single seat majority.