Prime Minister Najib Razak’s decision to strengthen the economic units of his administration with loyalist ministers gives a strong indication of the focus Barisan Nasional (BN) will take in its campaign for GE14.

The global economy is reeling and there’s every possibility that Malaysia will get engulfed in the coming storm. In his decision to install his most trusted men at the head of the economic units, Prime Minister Najib Razak shows that he recognises the need to drive home the point that it is better for voters to choose the devil they know than to risk the political and economic instability that might follow a change of government.

While the Goods and Services Tax is often bemoaned as a contributor to the public’s misery, it is true that our economy might have tanked without it, given the global oil price drop and the Treasury’s reliance on Petronas dividends.

Election season is a time for populist moves. It therefore seems only logical for BN to now clarify how the GST benefits the public. There are many ways in which the money collected can be channelled back to the people. For instance, a significant part of it could be used to ensure that more citizens get access to higher education.

However, with wages largely stagnant and the cost of living rising, BN will not find it easy to convince the people that the tax benefits them. Even though financial uncertainty usually breeds a predilection to vote for stability, Najib may find it hard to secure a convincing victory for BN if he does not present a sound economic plan to deal with income inequality, wealth distribution and the rising costs of goods and services.

The opposition must respond to the Cabinet reshuffle and its indication of Najib’s battle plan with an equally strong statement. Perhaps Pakatan Harapan will finally announce a shadow cabinet and a concrete policy platform and start talking about how it intends to protect the public from the recession that has been predicted to set in less than two years from now. Without this economic and populist direction, Pakatan will fail to resonate with the rural folk, who have not seen any reason to change their vote and are not moved by tales of high corruption and political conspiracies.

Every day wasted squabbling over the 3Ms and over PAS is another day Najib fortifies his position in Putrajaya. Pakatan will not win as long as the parties in it do not stand on a solidly uniform platform and as long as it does not present a viable line-up of candidates, even if BN occasionally bumbles and bungles.