PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional chairman Najib Tun Razak yesterday released the coalition’s manifesto – A Promise of Hope – setting out the coalition’s programme for government for the next five years.
Najib said the manifesto represented “our vision of a better future for all Malaysians”, and appealed to voters for a strong mandate that would allow him to continue his economic, political and social reforms.
The manifesto contains dozens of new costed, tangible policies and commitments aimed at sustaining Malaysia’s economic and social development and fostering a modern, high-tech economy with world-class infrastructure.
Policies in the manifesto include:
- The BR1M one-off cash payment to low income households (who earn less than RM3,000 per month) will be increased, during the next five years, from RM500 to up to RM1,200. The BR1M will also be paid out annually.
- Revamping the National Automotive Policy to gradually reduce car prices by 20-30%.
- Opening new Klinik 1Malaysia in high density communities.
- Establishing more 1Malaysia Daycare Centres for working parents.
- Lowering broadband internet fees by at least 20%, while guaranteeing bandwidth.
- Creating a new ministry focused on urban affairs (70% of Malaysians now live in urban areas).
- Increasing NGOs and civil society representation in local government decision-making.
- Building 1,000,000 new affordable homes, including 500,000 PR1MA houses priced at 20% below market rates.
- Abolishing stamping fees for first home purchases priced below RM400,000.
- Developing a national system to provide all Malaysians with access to quality healthcare.
- Establishing a Heart Centre and Cancer Centre in major hospitals in every part of the country.
- Providing dialysis treatment in every high-density area.
- Expanding the Rapid Bus System to every state capital, with facilities for the elderly and disabled.
- Continuing the expansion of the MRT, LRT and Commuter rail systems.
- Building Integrated Bus, Rail & Taxi Terminals in all towns and cities, and increasing individual taxi permits.
- Implementing the national high speed rail network and double tracking, including the high speed rail link between KL and Singapore.
- Expanding the North-South Expressway; building the 2,300km Pan Borneo Highway from Sematan in Sarawak to Serudung in Sabah.
- Extending the East Coast Highway and building a new West Coast Highway.
- Extending the supply of clean water to 320,000 homes.
- Expanding the electricity supply to 6,000 homes in the Peninsula, 60,000 in Sabah and 80,000 in Sarawak.
- Ensuring high quality mobile phone coverage and reliable wireless internet access throughout the country.
- Attracting RM1.3 trillion of investments and creating 3.3 million new jobs, of which 2 million will be in high income sectors.
- Implementing polices, including pro-growth policies, which are fair and equitable to all races in Malaysia.
- Establishing a more broad-based tax system, and gradually reducing personal and corporation tax.
- Improving the command of Bahasa Malaysia and English from pre-school level, and making English a compulsory SPM pass subject in all schools.
- Building more schools in areas of high demand, and providing more merit-based scholarships.
- Guaranteeing free broadband WIFI access on all public campuses.
- Providing new career pathways to allow performance-based fast tracking promotion of 420,000 teachers.
- Increasing the PDRM by 4,000 police personnel per year, strengthening the PDRM Motorcycle Patrol Unit by 5,000 vehicles, and enrolling an additional 50,000 Police Volunteer Reserves.
- Improving lighting in streets, alleyways and lanes to reduce street crime.
- Enhancing the total capability of the Armed Forces to deal with any external threat.
- Increasing the participation of women in national decision making, and opening 1Malaysia Daycare centres in all government offices.
- Tightening laws to prevent sexual abuse or harassment in the home and workplace.
- Providing funding, training and incentives for youth-based commercial ventures, creating more youth volunteerism through 1M4U, and expanding free WIFI hotspots in rural and semi-rural areas.
- Turning Brickfields into a blind-friendly zone, to serve as a model for future zones throughout the country.
- Upholding Islam and ensuring that other religions can be practiced in peace and harmony, and promoting the principles of moderation (wasatiyyah) in all undertakings.
- Publicly disclosing contracts to enhance transparency in government procurement.
- Empowering the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission by establishing a Service Commission to oversee the MACC’s recruitment and service issues.
- Establishing additional special corruption Sessions and High Courts.
- Introducing the Transformative Salary Scheme for civil servants, providing a special salary movement of 3% to those on maximum salary.
- Fighting for a Palestinian state, supporting the realization of the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015, and spearheading humanitarian work in Gaza, the West Bank, Southern Thailand and Mindanao.
- Providing financial incentives to commercial and private premises that invest in clean energy such as biomass and solar power.
- Allocating more space for green lungs in major cities, and revitalizing rivers and streams.
- Preserving Malaysia’s forests, undertaking reforestation programmes, and implementing stricter laws to prevent illegal deforestation.
