Najib has been on his nationwide “Jelajah Janji Ditepati” since last April. — File picKUALA LUMPUR, March 24 ― Datuk Seri Najib Razak completed his pre-election national tour last night by allocating RM100 million for road and flood mitigation works to pacify Kuantan residents still upset over the controversial Lynas rare earth refinery there.
The prime minister’s “Jelajah Janji Ditepati (Promises Fulfilled Tour)” to showcase his administration’s achievements began last April in Johor and ended last night in his home state in a massive event in the state capital. The national tour has been used to promise funds by the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government.
Najib also promised another RM3 million to the proposed private Chinese school Sekolah Menengah Chong Hwa ― on top of an earlier RM2 million donation ― in what is seen as a move to court the key Chinese community in the state.
“When we make promises, we will always fulfil them,” the BN chairman told the crowd at the Padang MPK2 in the town centre, the last stop of his state tour.
Local BN officials have been worried about a possible vote swing in Najib’s home state following protests against Australian miner Lynas Corp’s rare earth refinery in the town’s Gebeng industrial area.
While the residents’ legal challenges appear over and Lynas has already started producing refined rare earth products under the watchful eyes of authorities, BN has been working hard to get back support from the residents.
Local BN warlords said Najib’s appearance will boost their chances of keeping the state and ensuring the coalition can also retake several federal seats in its efforts to regain its two-thirds parliamentary majority lost in Election 2008.
Najib has worked hard on economic and social transformation programmes to get back support for BN in his quest to get his own personal mandate after taking over from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2009.
He also repeated his pledge last night to give annual direct cash handouts under the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) for households earning below RM3,000 a month. There have been two such handouts since it was introduced in 2012.
Najib also announced he will allocate an extra RM100 million to be disbursed for a micro-credit scheme this year and next year, over the amount already included in Budget 2013.
As with other urban areas he visited in the tour, the prime minister also launched affordable housing under the PR1MA endeavour. In Kuantan, he said 20,000 units of affordable homes would be built in Kuantan, Paya Besar and Indera Mahkota parliamentary constituencies to support robust growth in the East Coast Economic Region.
He has announced similar housing projects in Penang. Johor and Kuala Lumpur where the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact have made huge inroads to tap on discontent over spiralling property prices.
Lawmakers from both sides of the divide expect parliament and legislatures in 12 states excluding Sarawak, to be dissolved within the week for an April general election.
Najib has vowed to call elections after listing his government’s achievements and completing his national tour although most politicians have said polls should have been held within five years of the March 8, 2008 election.
The prime minister listed out his achievements on Tuesday night in a “state of the union” address. However, he is expected to dissolve parliament only after visiting the Langkawi International Maritime and Air Show (LIMA 2013) this coming week.
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