Friday May 4, 2007

Most Chinese still back Barisan Nasional, says Najib

By SHAHANAAZ HABIB

KUALA LUMPUR: There is no need for Barisan Nasional to be too alarmed by some Chinese votes going to the opposition during the recent Ijok by-election.

Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said this should not be taken out of proportion and made into a big issue.

“Let us not forget the fact that the majority of the Chinese still support Barisan,” Najib, who is the Deputy Prime Minister, told reporters yesterday after opening the International Conference on Management of Information Pertaining to Health Crisis.

He cited the Machap by-election of April 12 as an example, where 63% to 65% of the Chinese supported the ruling coalition against the DAP candidate.

Barisan won the Chinese-majority Machap seat by a majority of 4,081 votes.

In the Ijok mixed seat, Barisan won by 1,850 votes but Chinese votes dropped in areas like Pekan Ijok, Pekan Berjuntai Bestari (U), Pekan Berjuntai Bestari (S).

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said one of the factors for the swing in Ijok was certain statements made that had hurt the Chinese community.

Najib however pointed out that Barisan had won the general election in 2004 with an “all- time high” and hence it was only to be expected for the numbers to slip a little bit for the Ijok by-election.

“This does not mean we can’t recover from the position. I am confident we can. The Chinese are very practical people. They know whom to support when the time comes,” he added.

Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who was also at the function, said he did not believe there was a swing of Chinese votes because the decrease was “not all that much”.

To a question on statements made at the Umno Youth assembly some months ago, which had caused unease among the Chinese and hence affected Chinese support for the coalition, he said this was not the case.

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