Najib gives four reasons why Dr M made 'BR1M U-turn'

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has outlined four reasons which left Dr Mahathir Mohamad with no alternative but to make a 180-degree turn on the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) scheme.

The prime minister did not mention the former premier's name until the last paragraph of his blog posting, choosing to refer to him as an “old leader” instead.

Najib explained that BR1M was introduced to assist the low-income group cope with the cost of living and noted how an “old leader” described BR1M as “dedak” (animal feed).

“But several weeks later, he (Mahathir) made a U-turn, saying he would continue with BR1M if the opposition governed the country,” he added.

As for the four reasons, Najib said research by the World Bank and Stanford showed that recipients of such aid spent the money wisely, and it did not make them lazy as claimed by Mahathir.

Secondly, he said similar schemes are practiced in other countries, and experts have acknowledged that they can serve as an economic catalyst.

In citing the third and fourth reasons, Najib took a swipe at Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali as well.

“Thirdly, the 'old leader's' friends from the opposition have also implemented schemes similar to BR1M such as Azmin who provides money for schoolchildren in the state and (Penang Chief Minister) Lim Guan Eng, who gives financial aid to the poor in Penang.

“Fourthly, BR1M is given to all in the low-income group irrespective of political ideologies. We do not tell them to vote for BN, which is different from Azmin's coupons where his face is printed on them.

“In fact, it is the Selangor government which gives the most number of financial incentives,” he said.

“Because of these four factors, the 'old leader' had no choice but to make a U-turn on his stand. We all know this is not the first time Mahathir has made a U-turn,” he added.-Mkini