Beri Masa Untuk Pulihkan BN, Kata Mustapa - Bernama

KOTA BAHARU, 20 Mac (Bernama) -- Anggota Majlis Tertinggi (MT) Umno Datuk Mustapa Mohamed yakin Barisan Nasional (BN) mampu dipulihkan semula, selepas mengambil kira hasil kajian sebuah badan bebas yang menjalankan post mortem untuk menganalisis pencapaian BN pada pilihan raya baru-baru ini.

Mustapa, yang juga Menteri Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani berkata tindakan tegas dan segera perlu diambil bagi meningkatkan semula sokongan rakyat kepada BN.

"Sekiranya tindakan tegas tidak diambil terhadap penemuan (badan bebas) mengenai punca prestasi buruk BN pada pilihan raya lepas, kita khuatir ia boleh menyebabkan parti mengalami masalah lebih banyak lagi," katanya kepada Bernama di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian bagi mengulas cadangan Ketua Umno Bahagian Gua Musang, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah supaya Umno mengadakan persidangan agung khas bagi bagi membincangkan secara khusus pencapaian BN pada pilihan raya lepas.

Beliau ditemui Bernama selepas melawat Ketua Umno Bahagian Tanah Merah, Datuk Hashim Shafin yang sedang dirawat di Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) selepas diserang sakit jantung dua hari lepas.

[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/bm/news.php?id=321699]

Agong: Emulate The Prophet To Achieve Excellence - Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 (Bernama) -- Muslims should emulate the impeccable personality of Prophet Muhammad when carrying out the will of the Almighty to create a Muslim society of excellence and one that can serve as a model for the world, said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.

He said Prophet Muhammad had instilled mental and physical resolve in Muslims in creating a glorious civilisation in the eyes of the world.

Muslims, he said, should realise that the Almighty had blessed each and every person with the potential to excel.

"As the servants of the Almighty, Muslims have the responsibility to expand this potential with the wisdom that Allah (God) has bestowed upon them. Only with a perceptive mind can one explore the frontiers of knowledge, and lead society towards greatness.

"The theme for this year's Maulidur Rasul, 'Towards Creating Glorious Muslims', is apt given the ever-changing living environment of today's Muslims," he said when launching the national-level Maulidur Rasul celebrations at the Bukit Jalil Stadium here Thursday.

The King said the concept of life as the servant and caliph of God was a basic concept that should be practised so that the impact of Islam's greatness can be felt globally without sidelining worldly values.

[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=321648]

Umno invited to debate on Malay rights - NST

BUTTERWORTH: Parti Keadilan Rakyat has invited Umno to a debate on the economic standing of the Malays in Penang.

Penang PKR Youth chief Dr Azhar Ahmad said the party was willing to have a debate on the issue and to brief state Umno leaders on PKR's National Economic Agenda (NEA).

"We welcome Umno's right to express its views through the democratic process, but we also urge them to a debate on a common platform with us on the issue.

"We are not challenging them but rather we want to combine any ideas they have with ours for the betterment of the people and also for nation building."

Azhar said only a selected few had benefitted from the New Economic Policy which expired in 1990. He added that the NEP was found to be the cause of corruption, cronyism and nepotism.

"We are sure the NEA, if implemented, will benefit all races. The Malays do not have to worry about their economic status as it is already enshrined in Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.

"Article 153 of the Constitution states the special rights of the Malays," he said.

He was speaking at the state PKR secretariat at Taman Kelasah in Seberang Jaya here yesterday.

[From http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/2191459/Article/index_html]