Najib offers lavish benefits ahead of Malaysia poll

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, eager to consolidate control over this south-east Asian nation of 32m in the face of widespread but fragmented opposition, has unveiled a free-spending manifesto ahead of a general election that is expected to be held within weeks. “[This election] will determine our destiny,“ Mr Najib told blue-shirted supporters of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in a packed stadium in suburban Kuala Lumpur at the weekend. “We have vast experience, we have been tested, we have a proven track record and we have a clear vision to develop the nation and lift the people of Malaysia.” Mr Najib’s coalition is seeking to regain its two-thirds majority in the 222-seat parliament after ceding the popular vote to an ascendant opposition in 2013. The prime minister now faces an opposition alliance led by Mahathir Mohamad, 92, a grizzled former prime minister who led Malaysia for 22 years. Mr Mahathir has led the charge against his former protégé since allegations emerged in 2015 that Mr Najib received almost $700m linked to the 1Malaysia Berhad Development fund, or 1MDB, which the prime minister denies. Mr Mahathir hopes to leverage his star power with many ethnic Malay voters to erode Mr Najib’s traditional support base. He has pledged to abolish an unpopular sales tax within 100 days and hike basic pay. Mr Najib’s rival manifesto seeks to neutralise the opposition’s appeal with promises to increase cash transfers to the poor, implement debt relief for farmers, raise minimum wages to 1,500 Malaysian ringgit ($388) a month and create 3m jobs over the next five-year parliament. ”A lot of these things are carbon copies from our manifesto,” Syed Saddiq, the head of the youth wing of Mr Mahathir’s party and a candidate in the seat of Muar, Johor state, told the Financial Times on Sunday.

Mr Najib’s 364-point manifesto opens with several promises to women voters, including a commitment to draw up a new law against sexual harassment. Under the slogan “Make My Country Great with BN”, Mr Najib is targeting votes in Borneo with new cash transfers and infrastructure projects. In peninsular Malaysia, he promises to fix water issues in Selangor, create a new special economic zone in Kedah and build new homes in Penang. The government would also resurrect mothballed housing projects and launch a new bank for home loans on properties valued below MYR300,000. “We will form one agency to supervise and make sure all the housing programs will be implemented,” Noh Omar, minister of urban wellbeing, housing and local government, told the FT on Saturday night. The minister declined to comment when asked what message the government had for voters concerned by the allegations of mismanagement at 1MDB. An election date has yet to be set but 14.9m registered voters will go to the polls within weeks. Mr Mahathir told the FT he believes a large swing will be required to win a gerrymandered electoral map in which ethnic Malay voters are afforded greater say than other sections of society. Minority communities tend to prioritise provision of state services and economic performance at the ballot box, but some survey data indicate that Barisan Nasional retains the trust of the Malay majority. Afi Asryi, 22, was one of the few voters at the stadium on Saturday night who was receptive to Mr Mahathir’s platform of governance reform. A weary-looking Mr Asyri leaned against his orange food truck after a lucrative shift selling kebabs to the thousands of BN supporters. “Najib,” he said, scrunching his face while reaching for a hand-towel hanging around his neck. “Maybe at first he was good, but that was a long time ago.” Opposition candidates will have to hope that view is echoed by millions of other voters who have never witnessed a change of government. Shera Ghazali, 22, will also vote for the first time and is unmoved by Mr Mahathir’s criticism of the government management of 1MDB. “I don’t like to take this issue too seriously,” she said, dressed in a Barisan Nasional blue shirt. “My grandfather supported BN; for me it’s generational.”