KUALA LUMPUR: Following former Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed's controversial statements earlier this month that race and ethnicity will play a major role in the upcoming election in the country, PM Najib Razak has called on his party to ensure that racist remarks will remain on the sidelines and not become part of the campaign process. His Barisan Nasional (BN) members have been warned not to utter racially sensitive remarks that could cause tension among the people. Razak, who is also BN chairman, said the members were also told to refrain from making statements that could cause friction among component party members. “We remind members not to make statements that hurt the feelings of others," he said after chairing the Barisan supreme council meeting on Friday night. The PM dismissed as “baseless” the opposition claims that he was delaying polls because of a lack of confidence. “Such a question does not arise. What is important is that we show our capability in continuously defending the rakyat," he said. He said the rakyat has given Barisan a five-year mandate to govern, and there is no reason to shorten the time-frame. “Our level of confidence is based on public support for 1Malaysia-themed programs and various new products and transformation programs," he said. The meeting, which Razak described as “just a routine meet,” also discussed the programs and initiatives that have been organized by the government and the BN. “We spoke about the encouraging response from the people during visits to the ground by myself and the deputy Prime Minister. This shows that the people's confidence in Barisan Nasional is growing," he said. “The council also has taken note that the Government has increased its engagement with various sections of the public. Among them are recent ones like the TR1MA program with taxi drivers and the UTC (Urban Transformation Center) initiative in Melaka. We will continue these people-friendly initiatives," said Razak.
