FEDERAL GOVT HAS NEVER VICTIMISED KELANTAN, SAYS DPM

MUNYONYO, (Uganda) July 28 (Bernama) -- The federal government has never
victimised any state including opposition-ruled northeast state of Kelantan,
said Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said the federal government had instead carried out its responsibilities
as stipulated in the Federal Constitution.

For instance, he said, the federal government has allocated RM7 billion to
impelement various development programmes in Kelantan under the Ninth Malaysia
Plan.

"And we have not neglected Kelantan, as we have given an easy loan of
RM600 million to assist the Kelantan government carry out its clean water supply
projects.

"Actually, no state has been victimised or not given any allocation. In
other words, the federal government has performed its responsibility towards the
state governments," he told Malaysian journalists covering the 19th Global Smart
Partnership Dialogue 2009, here, Tuesday.

On Kelantan Chief Minister and PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat's
statement that the Kelantan PAS government only wanted to work with the federal
government and not with Umno, Muhyiddin said state-federal government
cooperation was unavoidable.

"The BN's policy is development for all," he said, adding that BN-state
government cooperation could not be separated from federal government-state
government cooperation.

He said cooperation at the government level only without political
cooperation was not feasible and had never happened before.

"There can only be federal-state government cooperatioon if there is some
political understanding between both parties," he said.

"It's up to them (Kelantan PAS government). We have good intentions and we
want to do good...not for the leaders but for the nation.

"When we say something, he (Nik Aziz) will say something else...sometimes I
don't know what to make out of what he says," Muhyiddin added.
-- BERNAMA