Tossing for a brighter future: Najib and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor tossing ‘yee sang’ with (from left) MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman and his wife Datin Prof Dr Jamilah Ariffin at the Johor-level Chinese New Year celebrations in Kulaijaya.

KULAIJAYA: The Government hopes for a stronger mandate in the next general election and will continue to hand out the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.

He said that unlike the opposition, which had organised the Bersih 1, Bersih 2 and Bersih 3 rallies, Barisan Nasional would focus on distributing the benefits of the country's economic growth via BR1M, BR1M2, BR1M3, BR1M4 and others.

“Each BR1M will include more target groups, like BR1M2 which included young people especially those not married, above 21 years old and earning less than RM2,000,” he said.

Najib said Barisan did not make promises that the Government could not afford or fulfil.

“Barisan does not make empty promises but comes up with concrete policies that have led to the country's progress,” he said to the delight of the huge crowd at the state-level Chinese New Year celebrations at Econsave Mart here on Tuesday.

Najib said the economic transformation policies were not empty promises because their effects could be seen and felt by the people.

“We want the transformation agenda to continue but, of course, this will depend on the people.

“A strong government will result in a bright future for our country, including a surge in the stock market,” he said.

He said the opposition had yet to fulfil promises under its 2008 election manifesto.

“In Selangor, single mothers there are still waiting for their monthly aid and those living in flats are still wondering when they will be provided with free water as promised.

“Unlike them, we do not make promises that we cannot fulfil,” he said.

He added that making promises such as abolishing toll, abolishing PTPTN and reducing the price of petrol was easy but in reality, someone would still have to compensate for it.

“If the people continue to support us, the country will see positive change, especially in the next five years,” he said.

He added that some of the changes could already be seen, and these include the RM106bil in committed investments for Iskandar Malaysia; the building of world-class hotels, including the first Harrods Hotel in the world and the 65-storey Four Seasons hotel; the completion of the MRT project in Kuala Lumpur; and the building of the second phase of the Johor Premium Outlet here.

“On the 18th, we will be officiating a wellness centre in Nusajaya which is a joint investment between Singapore and Malaysia,” he said, adding that these were examples of the positive changes from the policies introduced by the Government.

At another event, Najib announced that 25,500 affordable homes would be built in Iskandar Malaysia by Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia (PR1MA) in Johor over the next three years.

He said the homes would be built in Danga Bay, Plentong, Masai, Tebrau, Larkin, Pasir Gudang, Nusajaya and Tampoi.

Najib added that the Government was concerned with the housing woes of the people and was committed to building homes which were comfortable, of good quality and affordable.

He was speaking when officiating the balloting for 201 affordable homes in Nusantara Prima in Bandar Nusajaya here yesterday.

Earlier, five MoUs were signed between PR1MA and Johor-based developer partners.

PR1MA has identified 50 locations nationwide, mainly in urban areas, to build affordable homes.

To qualify, applicants must be at least 21 years old, have a gross household income of between RM2,500 and RM7,500 a month and should not own more than one property in Malaysia other than a unit of low- or low-medium-cost home. Preference will be given to Johor residents.

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