Ahmad Zahid warns of oft-repeated opposition accusations (Updated)

BAGAN DATUK: The oft-repeated opposition accusations and slander against the Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership have led many people to believe and be influenced by the fake news tarnishing the image of the government, said Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister said these repeated spinning and recycling of the fake news by the opposition, along the lines of Hitler's Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels during the Second World War, could make the fake news seep into the minds of the people.
"When something fake such as accusations and slander is repeated often, according to the theory of Goebbels, it will eventually penetrate the minds of the audience.
"This is what they (opposition) are doing, recycling issues and hurling all kinds of accusation," he said at the ground-breaking for the Bagan Datuk Mara Junior Science College here today.
Mara director-general Datuk Azhar Abdul Manaf was also present at the event.
Ahmad Zahid, who is likely to defend the Bagan Datuk parliamentary seat, said the approach of the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak ensured that every pledge in the last BN manifesto was fulfilled.
He said the government had taken into account all approaches, including the success of the implementation of previous pledges, before drawing up the BN manifesto for the 14th General Election (GE14).
The Cabinet Committee on the Study of GE13 Pledges that he chaired found that the government had implemented 99.4% of the pledges, reflecting the commitment of the government to realise its promises, he said.
Ahmad Zahid said the opposition pact's promise to abolish the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) and the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) was unrealistic.
"Abolishing payments will deny income for the country and there will be no balance between income and expenditure," he said.
On the Bagan Datuk Mara Junior Science College, Ahmad Zahid said he would regularly monitor the development of the college even if it was frowned upon by the project contractor or consultant.
"Many contractors and consultants are unhappy with my constant monitoring of projects, but I want to keep abreast of the developments, such as adherence to the checklist and timeline, etc.
"I want to know whether the selected contractor is someone of integrity, whether the materials used are of quality and whether there is a price deduction that cannot be compromised," he added.
Ahmad Zahid said he only wanted to ensure that the people were not victimised by the contractor making excessive profits.
"If this habit of mine is regarded as bad behaviour, I want to state that I am doing this not for myself but for the people. Hopefully, in this way we can move forward, not only in Bagan Datuk but in Perak and the country as well," he said. — Bernama