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‘As good as welfare’
KUALA TERENGGANU: The government
has been taking care of all the needs of the
people “from the cradle to the grave” and it
is unnecessary for Malaysia to be labelled a
welfare state to make this known, Deputy
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul
Razak said yesterday.
He said it had become a tradition for
the government to focus on target groups
which required government assistance and
support.
“In Malaysia, it can be said that the
government provides much assistance and
aid to an individual from the cradle to the
grave,” he said at a welfare programme at
SMK Seri Nilam here.
BERNAMAPIX
Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad
Said, Women, Family and Community De-
velopment Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen
and the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate
for the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary
by-election, Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan
Salleh, were present.
Najib said certain quarters had talked
of championing a welfare state in the last
general election.
“At first, they played up the hudud laws
issue and then followed up with the welfare
state issue on the pretext of championing
welfare,” he said.
Najib said Malaysia was actually a wel-
fare state because the BN government was
sensitive to the needs of the people.
“It is not necessary to declare that we
are a welfare state. It is not necessary for
any label because we are already a welfare
state,” he said.
“It is not necessary for us to champion
a welfare state because Malaysia under the
leadership of (Prime Minister Datuk Seri)
Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi) is most sensitive
to the needs of the people.”
Najib is here to campaign for Wan
Ahmad Farid, the former deputy home
minister, who is locked in a three-corner
contest in the by-election on Saturday with
Wakaf Mempelam assemblyman Mohd
Abdul Wahid Endut of PAS and independent
Azharudin Mamat alias Adam.
Member of Audit Bureau of Circulations (Malaysia)
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» Woman ‘rescued’ from relative of ex-minister pg4
NAJIB: GOVT HAS BEEN HELPING PEOPLE
‘FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE
GRAVE’
Najib said the government had estab-
lished the Social Safety Net to make efforts
to help the target groups more effective. This
was a leap forward in government policy in
helping the poor and needy.
He said the Women, Family and Com-
munity Development Ministry’s “Cari Cari”
programme, where ministry officers went
to the field looking for the poor and needy
to provide help, was most effective in terms
of welfare work.
“With these measures, the objective of
the government to eradicate hard-core pov-
erty by 2010 will be achieved, God willing,”
he said.
Award winning newspaper
for public service reporting
and opinion writing.
No. 4676 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)
Monday
TELLING IT AS IT IS
» S.H.E.’s back pg18
Najib dismissed talk that the government
had a hidden agenda or was trying to fish
for votes every time it provided aid to the
needy.
“Who can say the government is not
sensitive to the needs of the people? When
the government announced the Social Safety
Net, it was not known that there would be a
by-election in Kuala Terengganu,” he said.
He said the people had to understand that
the government would provide assistance
even if there was no by-election in Kuala
Terengganu, as the planned programmes
would continue to be implemented. – Ber-
nama
January 12, 2009
www.sun2surf.com
Entertainment
Israeli forces
advance
but Hamas
defiant
GAZA: Israeli forces edged into
the Gaza Strip’s most populous
area yesterday, killing at least
27 Palestinians in an offensive
stepped up in defiance of inter-
national calls for a ceasefire.
Medical officials said about
half of the Palestinian dead in the
latest fighting in the Hamas-ruled
territory were civilians.
“Israel is getting close to
It is not achieving the goals it set for
necessary itself,” Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
to declare Olmert told his cabinet in Jerusa-
that we are lem, giving no time-frame for an
end to the 16-day-long war.
a welfare “But patience, determination
state.
and effort are still needed to
It is not realise these goals in a manner
necessary that will change the security situ-
ation in the south,” he said, refer-
for any ring to Hamas rocket attacks that
label
continued to hit Israeli towns.
because Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal
we are said it would not consider a
already a ceasefire until Israel ended its air,
sea and ground assault and lifted
welfare a Gaza blockade.
state.”
Israel, describing as unwork-
able a UN Security Council
resolution calling for a ceasefire,
wants a halt to rocket attacks and
arrangements to ensure Hamas
cannot rearm through tunnels
under the Egypt-Gaza border.
Backed by helicopter gun-
ships, Israeli troops and tanks
pushed into the eastern and
southern parts of the city of Gaza,
confronting Hamas militants who
fired anti-armour missiles and
mortar bombs.
The Palestinian death toll
since Israel’s offensive began on
Najib gives
Dec. 17 stands at 869, many of
Pani
them civilians. Thirteen Israelis
Embung, 68,
– three civilians hit by rocket fire
a helping
and 10 soldiers – have been killed,
hand at the
official Israeli figures showed.
launching
In Washington, U.S. Presi-
of a mobile
dent-elect Barack Obama said
clinic at SMK
in broadcast remarks he would
Seri Nilam.
begin the search for Middle East
Next to him
peace immediately on becoming
is Ng.
president. – Reuters
» See also Page 8