Former BN chairperson Najib Abdul Razak is confident that the coalition will retain its victory in the Cameron Highlands by-election on Jan 26.

Najib said his prediction was based on the current mood of the people who were disappointed with the Pakatan Harapan government, which he claimed has failed to fulfil the promises it made during the 14th general election.

"It (failing to fulfil its pledges) could be a major factor for voters to reject them (Harapan). 

"We (BN) have a good chance of defending the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat based on the current atmosphere and mood of the people.

"If the BN machinery uses the right strategy, then there will be no problem for us to retain the seat," he said after presenting school aid to students in his Pekan constituency at SMA Tengku Ampuan Fatimah Pekan today.

The Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat fell vacant after the Election Court nullified the victory of BN's C Sivarraajh in the 14th general election, after it established that there vote-buying had occurred during the election campaign.

The Election Commission has set Jan 12 as the nomination date.

On another note, Najib ticked off DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang for saying that the previous BN government had not helped the Orang Asli.

He stated that the allegations were intended to mislead the people, especially the Orang Asli community, especially in Cameron Highlands because "BN had helped the community across the country.”

"I personally launched the relocation of the Sungai Ruil Orang Asli village in Cameron Highlands. We can see for ourselves how comfortable they are in their houses now.

"There were many more (such) plans to help the community and we had to look at the geographical factors of their settlements... some are far and in the interior and would take time to implement.

"... but to say that the BN government does not care about the fate of the Orang Asli community is not true at all," he said.

- Bernama