Job back if BN man wins - Najib

Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh will be reappointed as a deputy minister should he win the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election on Jan 17.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said he and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had agreed on this.

“If he wins, the Prime Minister and I can confirm that he will be reappointed. Surely the Kuala Terengganu electorate would not reject someone who is, for all intents and purposes, already a deputy minister in the government,” he said when launching the Felda Residence hotel near here today.

Wan Farid had relinquished his senatorship to be eligible to contest in the by-election and thus vacated his Deputy Home Minister post.

Najib said the relationship between the Federal and state government was very good and that all the oil royalties owed to Terengganu for 2007 and last year had been paid in full.

“When we returned the oil royalty, we specifically said that it must be used to finance development programmes that would benefit the people as a whole. That was the only condition when we returned the money,” he said.

Later, when launching the election machinery of Barisan Nasional component parties at the Islamic Civilisation Park here, Najib reminded Umno and Barisan leaders campaigning in by-election to be humble.

“Don’t be boastful ... (do not) move around in luxury cars and don’t be excessive (when meeting voters). Stick to the principle that we are servants of the people, that’s the key to BN success.

“That’s why I ask leaders who are going down to the ground to be people-friendly,” he said.

- The Star