Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said he can sleep well knowing that he has the support of top leaders in Perlis amid calls by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for him to step down.
Najib said this after the state's top two political leaders - Perlis Menteri Besar Azlan Man and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim - endorsed him.
Najib described the duo as the "two tigers" in the northern state with Shahidan being the "political strongman" while Azlan is the "government strongman", according to Bernama.
Shahidan
(right)
has already pledged his undivided support to me and just a moment ago, Azlan has openly stated that even if lightning strikes, he will still be solidly behind me.
"With this, I can sleep easy and not feel I am alone. This support is important because we need a government that is strong," he told more than 5,000 people in Kangar, Perlis today.
Earlier, Azlan in his speech had announced his undivided support to the prime minister and government.
Shahidan, who is a former menteri besar of Perlis, is the MP for Arau.
According to Najib, BN needed the solid support of all to ensure it was respected and not seen to be weak.
'BN cannot afford to look weak'
"Not only will the people disrespect our party, they will also think it will lose power in the next general election (if we are weak).
"In the context of Perlis and based on history, the state has proven it is always BN 'soil'," said Najib.
He gave his assurance to cooperate with the political leadership and state government of Perlis to ensure the state would continue to be a strong BN state.
Other than political matters, Najib also said all the aspirations of the people would be met by the BN government which would ensure fair development for all levels of society.
In terms of development, Najib said Perlis' financial resources was limited and needed the continuous support and aid from the federal government in order to continue to develop.
"I am very concerned in terms of major projects. I know Perlis is constrained financially to pay for major projects planned for the state," he said.
In this regard, he said the federal government in principle had agreed to approve the Chuping Valley development project and the Padang Besar logistics hub under the 11th Malaysia Plan.
Najib also approved the construction of the Padang Besar Hospital despite an earlier announcement to postpone the hospital due to budget constraints.
"My commitment is to see Perlis continue to progress," he added.
Earlier, the prime minister, who is also BN chairman, held a closed door meeting with state BN leaders and also attended a briefing on development in the state.
