‘NAJIB DOESN’T EVEN HAVE MONEY FOR MEDICINE AT HOSPITALS, SCHOLARSHIPS – HOW IS HE GOING FUND BN’S MANIFESTO’: MAHATHIR POURS COLD WATER, SAYS ARCH-FOE ‘BUSED IN’ CROWD, GAVE FREE FOOD & DRINKS TO GIVE FALSE SHOW OF SUPPORT

BN chairperson Najib Abdul Razak got a taste of his own medicine, when his rival Dr Mahathir Mohamad tore into the BN manifesto last night.

Najib had mocked the Harapan manifesto as unfeasible, claiming it would increase national debt to RM1 trillion with its promises to abolish tolls and do away with the Goods and Services Tax.

Unsurprisingly, Mahathir felt that same way about the BN manifesto.

“The total amount of money to be spent under (the plans in) this manifesto is RM300 billion. Where are you going to get RM300 billion?

“You (Najib) don’t even have money to pay for medicine for hospitals, or give scholarships,” he said at a rally in Muar last night.

It is not clear how Mahathir arrived at the RM300 billion figure.

The Harapan candidate for prime minister also poked fun at the BN manifesto’s pledge to uplift the position of women.

“We’re not saying that we will do this (promise to uplift women), but our deputy prime minister-in-waiting is a woman (PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail).

“We don’t just talk, we do,” he said.

‘BN crowd bused in’

Najib unveiled the BN election manifesto at a ceremony at a packed stadium in Bukit Jalil.

Mahathir claimed the crowds at the BN event were bused in, and given money and food.

In contrast, he said the crowd at the Jelajah Harapan ceramah last night – which Malaysiakini estimated to be more than 3,000 – all came on their own volition.

“There are no buses here. People came here on foot, by their own bicycles, motorbikes, or cars.

“People are not here because they excited to collect money.

“We (Harapan) are different, we ask for money because we are poor,” he said in jest.

MKINI