UBAH?

Making a point: Dr Chua delivering his speech at a dinner organised by five hawkers and petty traders associations in Ipoh. GOPENG: The DAP's call for Ubah (change) has failed to get traction from the Malays and Indians while the Chinese community is beginning to question the wisdom of such a call, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said. The MCA president said the DAP had failed to convince the majority of the people that its call could make life better for them. Based on feedback, including from his visits to villages nationwide, Dr Chua said the majority of Malays and Indians did not believe in Ubah. Even some Chinese, who had initially wanted to give it a try for five years, also have their reservations now, he added. The tipping point, Dr Chua said, was the encouraging outcome of the country's Economic Transformation Programmes (ETP) and the other programmes under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. “Facts and figures speak louder than rhetoric, or worse, empty promises,” he said. Dr Chua said the country's economic growth this year was 5.6% and this was based on the economic plans put in place by the Government and not a slogan like Ubah. “The 13-member National Economic Council or NEC, chaired by the Prime Minister, will meet every Monday to ensure an average 6% economic growth a year. “It is also about how to empower the pri-vate sector to lead the economic growth, get more foreign direct investments and creating 300,000 new jobs a year,” said Dr Chua, who is also an NEC member. Speaking at a dinner attended by about 1,200 people in Lawan Kuda here, and organised by 40 NG0s from Gopeng, Dr Chua said he would share the country's development updates with the people during his nationwide visits to enable them to make informed choices during the upcoming general election. “The Prime Minister has an impressive report card for the last three years,” he added. Following the good performance, Dr Chua said the Government was confident that the plans were on track and even announced that the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BRIM) would be an annual handout for the poor. Dr Chua said voters would have to decide on who to support and urged them to consider their own future and that of their families when making the decision.