“A BN government, led by Umno, is far more credible than any of the alternatives available. It is the only one capable of fulfilling its manifesto promises,” the former law minister told FMT.
Zaid said that Umno and its component parties in the BN coalition were “slowly but surely adapting itself to new realities in Malaysia” and “working hard towards positive change”, including by refreshing its lineup.
“The Johor and Melaka state elections saw 74% new, younger faces. The rejuvenation process is continuing. In GE15, many of the ‘old guard’ have been replaced,” he said.
Comprehensive manifesto
Zaid said that BN’s priority was now to help those who are trapped in society’s lower income segment.
“The manifesto’s assistive basic income scheme is something quite revolutionary which has never been done before,” he said.
One of the key pledges in the BN manifesto titled “Perancangan Amal dan Usaha” (Padu) is to work towards the elimination of poverty by levelling up the income of all households below the poverty marker to RM2,208.
Zaid also pointed to other promises in the manifesto designed to lower the cost of living. These include free childcare and early education, and free higher education for youth from the B40 segment.
“BN will also address once and for all the PTPTN loan problem which has crippled many Malaysian families,” he said.
The manifesto also shows BN’s commitment to revolutionising the education system, he said, pointing to efforts to give schools nationwide 5G internet access within 18 months, introducing computer coding into the syllabus, and moving to a fully digital learning experience.
Changes to kickstart the economy
Zaid also said that only BN was capable of delivering the changes needed to kickstart the economy.
Even with the best of intentions, none of the other coalitions vying for control of Putrajaya are capable of matching BN in terms of administration, he added.
“PH ministers were amateurish in their approach. They have no experience in running the country.
“Throughout their 22 months in power, they only succeeded in dismantling the economy. They shrunk our revenue by cancelling the goods and services tax (GST) and scared away foreign investors, especially those from China and the Middle East.
They also managed to upset India to such an extent that our palm oil exports were significantly affected.”
“On top of that, the PH coalition was unstable and could not last a full term,” he said.
“Likewise, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government showed itself to be inept and ill-equipped to run the country and very quickly lost the confidence of the MPs and the nation as a whole,” said Zaid.
“Malaysia cannot afford a repeat of this,” he said.
Multiracial and moderate society
Zaid warned that only BN can guarantee a truly multiracial and moderate Malaysian society.
“A rejection of BN will most likely see votes split along racial lines, which may result in Malay voters switching their allegiance to PAS rather than PH.
“That will be quite disastrous and must be avoided at all costs,” he said.