Barisan Nasional will not take the upcoming elections lightly as opposition party PAS could still prove to be a formidable opponent, said Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today.

"There is general feeling of optimism in the air. People (voters) who have gone against us in the previous general election, quite a number of them are back with us.

"Of course, we are not going to take things lightly. We cannot be complacent, there would be threats to BN especially from PAS in some of the traditional Malays areas," he said in response to a question at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

However, the BN deputy chairperson stressed that the ruling coalition was more confident in facing the threats this time around.

Najib's parliamentary constituency Pekan had also dangled on a thin wire in the 1999 elections as he beat a relatively unknown PAS candidate Ramli Mohamed with a mere 241-vote majority.

Out of the 26,055 votes cast, he obtained 13,148 while Ramli secured 12,907.

This morning, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told reporters after the BN supreme council meeting that he was confident of success in the polls as the coalition is "strong".

Other factors

Meanwhile, Najib avoided giving a concrete answer when asked if the ruling coalition would capture Kelantan and Terengganu from PAS in the next polls, which could be called as early as March.

"We have to work hard, there is general optimism in the air that we can succeed especially in Terengganu or even Kelantan.

"But of course, when it comes to (the) general election, there are many other factors that we have (to consider)," he said, without elaborating.

PAS has controlled Kelantan since 1990 and won neighbouring Terengganu in the last polls.

However, much of its success has been attributed to the political instability following the sacking of then deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim in 1998.

'United Umno'

Earlier, Najib delivered his first keynote address since his appointment as deputy premier last Wednesday at the 'Malaysia strategic outlook 2004' conference organised by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli).

He pledged to fully support Abdullah and play the role of a loyal assistant, saying: "It's not my place to dream another dream".

"There is no doubt in my mind that the prime minister will lead us to a decisive victory in the coming general election. Our principal task in the weeks and months ahead is to ensure this government secures a solid mandate and endorsement from the electorate," he told the 200-odd audience.

He acknowledged that the performance of BN declined during the last elections but expressed confidence for the upcoming polls.

Apart from losing Terengganu, the ruling coalition saw its parliamentary seats fall from 162 to148 in the previous elections.

Najib also added that Umno was now "united, stronger and more cohesive than ever before".

'Know-how, know-who'

The deputy premier also shared his views on the challenges and opportunities that the nation will face in 2004.

He said the government will continue to review development expenditure plans on the basis of affordability and need.

He added that a key priority of the government is to transform the agriculture sector into a major contributor to the economy.

"This is signaled by the prime minister's appointment of a senior cabinet colleague (Muhyiddin Yassin) to that portfolio," he said.

Najib also called on the bumiputera to recognise the importance of the combination of "know-how" (knowledge) and "know-who"(networks) .

"In Malaysia, in particular for the bumiputera community, businesses have often relied on networks and relationships while paying insufficient attention to skills and knowledge. This needs to change," he said.

Apart from this, he also reiterated the assurance of a terrorism-free country and to reinvent the education system.

Other issues raised in his 30-minute speech included the fight against corruption, reduction of red-tape, strengthening foreign trade relationships and promoting better private sector performance.

Present at the conference were Asli president Mirzan Mahathir, the son of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and a bevy of foreign dignitaries, corporate leaders and scholars.