On Thursday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak chaired Supreme Council meetings for both Umno and later Barisan Nasional at the Putra World Trade Centre.
As President of Umno and the Chairman of BN, Najib had assembled the two groups to outline strategy ahead of GE13, a day after he dissolved parliament.
One of the hot topics is, of course, the candidates list. Najib said that he was planning to release the list earlier than usual and was just waiting for the announcement of the dates for polling and nomination from the Election Commission (EC) to determine when the names would be released.
“We will announce the candidates earlier than usual to enable them to make the necessary preparations,” he said, though he was tight-lipped when it came to clues about the highly anticipated ‘winnable candidates’.
“Wait for the announcement. I do not want to say anything now, but there will be changes. It is important to have an element of surprise.”
He also discussed the Barisan Nasional manifesto, which he said would help BN to “win big” by improving living standards for all Malaysians and continuing the rapid economic growth the country has seen under his tenure.
“We commit to promises made and we have in the last four years proven that whenever we make pledges, we have fulfilled our pledges. Our manifesto is the symbol of our new pledges to the rakyat,” Najib said.
“Based on national transformation, the manifesto’s emphasis will be on improving the living standards of people and improving the economy.”
The Prime Minister also led discussions on the actual party and coalition machinery that he was “cautiously optimistic” would help earn a strong mandate from the rakyat.
“Our overall preparation is most satisfactory, the sentiment of the BN component parties is very strong, our machinery is ready down on the ground…and all our activities will be intensified especially during the election campaign.”