No pressure from federal leaders

LUNDU: Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said the state Barisan Nasional (BN) does not face any pressure from the federal leaders to win this election.

“Of course they expect us to win as many seats as possible but you need not have to pressure people to do something they want to do. If we want to win in the election we don’t need people to pressure us,” he said.

He said the state BN had done everything necessary, not just to win the election but also to secure as many seats as it could, stressing that it had always been their aim in every election and the coming one was no exception.

Speaking at a media conference after opening the Nation Building Camp in Sempadi near here yesterday, Taib, who will be defending his Balingian seat, denied that this election would be the ‘hottest’.

Earlier, in his speech, he said that democracy and development should go together otherwise one would destroy the other.

As such, he said, there must be a certain limit to freedom of speech or else it could disrupt the future of the country.

He said that of late there had been an emergence of negative trends trying to fight for total freedom and if left unchecked they could become the biggest threat for the nation and state.

“We cannot let people have total freedom. It is like allowing people go racing using sport cars without brakes when we know that it is just inviting grave disaster,” he said.

Because of that, he said institutions such as the nation building camp was felt to be the most appropriate to create a highly disciplined society.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ahmad Maslan said that such camp was meant for nation building under the 1Malaysia concept.

He said that there were altogether 18 nation building camps throughout the country, with the one here being the latest addition.

The camp, sited on a piece of land with a total size of 20.1496 hectares and constructed at a cost of RM26 million, was first built on May 27, 2004.

At the occasion yesterday, he announced that the government would build another camp next to the present one.

Also present yesterday was Special Advisor in the Chief Minister’s Office Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem.