GE13: BN manifesto gets thumbs-up

PETALING JAYA: One thing is clear from the Barisan Nasional manifesto the Prime Minister has been listening and making notes.

As political analyst Professor Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia pointed out, many of the pledges in A Promise of Hope address the concerns and grouses people have been expressing in the last five years.

“You can see the PM (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) knows what people want. A lot of the points in the manifesto are what he has collected from the ground through various media and when he went around to meet the rakyat,” said Prof Shamsul.

Calling it a doable and realistic manifesto, Dr Shamsul said it focused on concrete plans that would have direct impact on the people.

“An example is the proposed increase for BR1M (1Malaysia People's Aid); it has a direct impact on the poor and needy, as opposed to the usual subsidies which benefit everybody, even the rich.”

This contrasts with the 2008 Barisan manifesto themed Security, Peace and Prosperity which stated a broader overview of the coalition's policies.

“The GE13 manifesto provides a clear and definitive plan on how they will achieve their pledges. Even where there are macro-policies and ideas, you can see that there is a workplan and budget behind them,” he said, adding that this was the difference when you have someone well-versed in economics at the helm.