(NST) - UMNO deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has called on Umno divisions in Selangor to put in extra hard work to fulfil the desire of people to topple the ruling Pakatan Rakyat government and return it to Barisan Nasional control.
He said the voter ecosystem was now most conducive for change and it was up to Umno divisions in Selangor to consolidate their internal system by sorting out problems and rising to the challenge of the coming general election.
He said the problem-beset Selangor state government also provided the right formula for BN to score success in the state.
Speaking at the Selayang Umno division delegates meeting here yesterday, Muhyiddin said during his visits to Selangor, people kept asking him when the election would be held.
"When I ask them why, they tell me that they are fed up with the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor government and want to vote in BN in the coming election.
"In fact, never in the history of this country has a state government been riddled with so many issues dragging on unresolved for so long.
"Every day, some problem arises either due to the deliberate action of the Selangor government or the reaction of the people over their dissatisfaction with the state government's policy and programmes."
Muhyiddin said he was also involved in some issues in Selangor, such as the water issue which, despite warnings from local and foreign experts that if left unsolved could escalate into a major water crisis affecting about six million people in and around Selangor, the Selangor government was still in denial.
He said: "They show us dams that are overflowing but what is needed is treated water. The treatment plants are now working at full capacity, with some running 24 hours.
"If the overworked treatment plants break down, the people in the area will face water shortage."
Muhyiddin said about 200 factories in Selangor had been denied their Certificate of Fitness for Occupancy (CFO) by the state government for fear that if the CFO is given, the state government would be obliged to provide them with the necessary utilities, like water.
"This is why the Langat 2 project is so important and the Federal Government is determined to get the project to proceed even without the state government's approval.
"If they bring in bulldozers to block the project, they are being cruel to the people who stand to benefit from the project.
"I am confident that the people now feel that the time is right for Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat to leave Selangor."
Muhyiddin said Khalid and his people would not give up easily as they would use all their means to retain their hold on Selangor and it was up to Umno and BN divisions in the state to put in an extraordinary effort to get them out.
He said Umno and BN leaders should realise that the mindset of voters today was different as they did not take anything for granted.
"They don't take it for granted that if we do something for them, then they must vote for us.
"Even though BN had developed Selangor into a premier state in the country, the people voted us out in 2008. We have to face this reality."
Muhyiddin said the Selangor people, seeing the undelivered promises of the Pakatan Rakyat government in the last four years, were ready to vote in BN but the question was whether Umno and BN divisions in the state were ready.
He said checks showed that only 40 per cent of the voting district centres (PDM) of Umno were ready to face the general election, adding that in some districts the election machinery had yet to be set up.
Pointing to the 2004 general election when BN lost Kelantan state to Pas after losing a single state constituency by just two votes, Muhyiddin said Umno and BN divisions in Selangor should become more serious and not take things easy in the coming elections.
Like Kelantan, if BN loses Selangor again, the opposition would get a firmer grip on it and BN cannot win it back again.
Later, in Kuala Lumpur, Muhyiddin attended the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry's Hari Raya celebration at Astaka Taman Tasik Titiwangsa.
At the Hari Raya open house of the United Malaysian Motorcycle Riders Association, better known as Rempit United, in Bukit Bintang here yesterday, Muhyiddin said the role played by youths was vital for the nation's continuity.
He said Rempit United should hold a series of talks with its 239,000 members nationwide to gather their views and help them to succeed.
He said the government would support the efforts of Rempit United as it was a good initiative.
Rempit United president Wazi Abdul Hamid later handed a memorandum to Muhyiddin, asking for the government to provide facilities for motorcycle riders so that they did not disturb other road users.
