Malaysian PM Cannot Reveal Election Date Even If He Knows It

KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said he could not reveal the date of the 13th General Election although he knew about it. He hoped the public, including the media, appreciated his answer as he needed to keep a few secrets to himself. Najib was asked the question by reporters during a Question-and-Answer session after launching the Foreign Correspondents Club of Malaysia (FCCM) here Monday night. Also attending the event were editors and foreign journalists operating in Malaysia. Najib said, the question on the election date was akin to asking the Coca Cola chief executive officer to divulge the secret ingredents that made the drink world-famous. "I'm sure you can appreciate why I can't reveal it...even if I know, I got to keep the trade secret to myself," he said. According to Najib, he was aware that some foreign news agency had predicted that the election was to be held in June. To a question whether it was crucial for Barisan Nasional (National Front) to get the two-third majority in the coming general election, Najib said the country needed a strong and stable government, or else the result would spell a political uncertainty for Malaysia. However, the prime minister was aware in today's scenario, that the two- third majority goal in Malaysian context, was very much more challenging than before and it was also equally challenging for Singapore. "But, we will strive our best to get the two-thirds and we will work hard towards it. For example, I never worked harder before in my life, my work schedule now is punishing," he said. On Saturday, for example, he had five to six programmes in Perak, and on Sunday, Najib had to attend four programmes in Selangor. "It is something that you have to face, it is a different environment now, social media at work, people are more educated and free flow information. You got to expect that it is going to be a different environment," he said. On the New Economic Policy, Najib said that political balance was very important for the country. "We are moving from ethnic policy-based but we are also aware of the importance of ethnic balance because in the long term, political stability is important for the country," he said. Today, he said, policy was much more inclusive and fairer as the wealth of the nation needed to be distributed, not just among the bumiputeras but also the minority. Najib also answered a question regarding his visit to Myanmar on March 26. He said, it was a good opportunity to visit the country as both countries enjoyed good relations before, and the visit would establish closer links to Myanmar, in terms of bilateral trade, investment and economy. -- BERNAMA