Umno, BN Must Be Preferred By Urban Community, Says Najib

Effective methods should be formulated to restore the urban community's confidence in the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno to make them their parties of choice, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The Prime Minister said BN and Umno leaders and members should work hard to translate their strength as the only parties that could develop the economy while reminding the people that they had fought to liberate the country.

Prompted by the strong message sent by the people during the 13th general election, he said in order to win back the hearts of urban dwellers, major problems like crimes, corruption, traffic snarls and housing prices should be addressed.

"Apart from the process of improving weaknesses in the party and acknowledging mistakes, we should also have the humility to identify problems of the urban community which should be resolved to their satisfaction," he said when breaking fast with Federal Territories BN and Umno members at the Muadz Al-Jabbar Mosque here Wednesday night.

Najib, who is also Umno president and BN chairman, said the government was committed to curbing corruption and crime to ensure that the people were free from threats of serious crimes, snatch thefts and burglaries.

He also said that the government would ensure that the people, whether from low or high-income groups, could benefit from an efficient public transportation system to reduce traffic congestion. "As in the cities of London and New York, even those in the high-income group use public transport. If we can get to that level, we can give satisfaction to the people," he said.

The Prime Minister said the government would also build 85,000 affordable housing units in the range of RM150,000 to RM300,000 in the Federal Territories within five years to meet the demand of urban dwellers. Meanwhile, Najib called on Muslims to be grateful as they were able to fast in a peaceful atmosphere compared to other fellow Muslims in strife-torn Islamic countries.

At the event, Najib also handed out Aidilfitri aid and 'duit raya' to 1,500 orphans, people with disabilities, the poor and single mothers from the Setiawangsa parliamentary constituency.

He later joined the congregation in performing the Maghrib, Isyak and tarawih prayers.

Also present were Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib, Federal Territories Umno Liasion Committee deputy chairman Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin and Member of Parliament for Setiawangsa Datuk Ahmad Fauzi Zahari.