SHAH ALAM – Opposition alliance Perikatan Nasional has unveiled a populist election manifesto worth RM2 billion to win over voters in Malaysia’s richest state Selangor. But analysts say its plans are unsustainable in the long run, compared with those of caretaker state government Pakatan Harapan .
“I would like to stress that PN’s offerings are feasible and realistic, thanks to the expertise and experience of our leaders in Selangor. We are confident that these initiatives can be fulfilled quickly, efficiently and effectively,” said the alliance’s chairman Muhyiddin Yassin during the manifesto launch in state capital Shah Alam.
“The issue is where are they going to get the money from? PN ambitions to implement these RM2 billion initiatives in ‘grand scale’ promises may deplete Selangor’s reserves, and PN has only mentioned broad strokes with no finer details or introduced anything original,” said Mr Halmie Azrie Abdul Halim, a senior analyst at government regulatory affairs and political risk consultancy Vriens and Partners.
“Selangor is a resource-rich state with a lot of urban or semi-urban seats, and it would need a strong dissatisfaction with PH for them to switch,” she added.PH will be contesting the election with its unity government ally and former foe Barisan Nasional.