THE Indian community must have “nambike” (confidence or faith) in Barisan Nasional as the only coalition capable of running the country, said Prime Minister Najib Razak today.

He said the community had never been marginalised by the government, and should have confidence in BN’s capabilities based on the concept of “naalai namathey, naalum namathey” (tomorrow is ours, the future is ours).

“The choice is yours. I don’t have to elaborate because the people in Langkawi know better.

“The Indians in Langkawi know very well that BN is the only coalition they can place their trust in.

“We cannot count on the opposition. If we want to develop a district or a state or a country, we must have faith in the government, the one with a proven track record and the strength to bring changes,” he said during a Teh Tarik Session with the Indian community at the Langkawi MIC Hall in Taman Sungai Raya.

He called on the people to not fall for the opposition’s lies and allegations that Malaysia would soon go bankrupt.

He said Malaysia would not be like Greece or other bankrupt countries that needed to be rescued, and this was proven when the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Economic Forum acknowledged the government’s capabilities in managing the economy.

“If we were bankrupt, do you really think that the World Bank, IMF and World Economic Forum would praise us?

“(If it were true,) we would definitely be deluged with never-ending criticism. But, there are no reports published by them saying we are a bankrupt state.”

The BN chairman slammed the presence of an ageing former prime minister claiming to be able to save the country from bankruptcy.

“The economic growth rate now stands at 5.9%, and we recorded exports of RM83.5 billion last November.

“Our currency has been described as the best-performing currency in the world within the last couple of months,” he said, adding that the facts did not reflect the situation of a failing nation.

He said he would work with the Kedah government to resolve the issues faced by the Indian community in Langkawi, who comprise 3.9% of the island’s population.

Pakatan Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad last year said he may stand in Langkawi, Kubang Pasu or Putrajaya in the 14th general election.

The former prime minister was then offered the Gombak seat by Selangor Menteri Besar and PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali, but turned it down, saying he had set his sights on the three seats mentioned. – Bernama, February 16, 2018.