Look forward to BR1M annually, promises PM

The 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) cash handout programme will be an annual affair, said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"BR1M 1.0 and BR1M 2.0... has benefitted the low income population greatly.

"Thus I am happy to announce that the government will make BR1M an annual initiative," he said.

Najib said this at the tail end of his hour long speech to present Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) 2012 annual report.

For the first round of BR1M last year involved an allocation of RM2.6 billion while another RM3 billion was allocated for BR1M 2.0.
 
Critics claim that the move ran contrary to claims that the federal government was trying to reign in on its burgeoning deficit and was trying desperately to win votes.

'We have a track record, they don't'

Najib also used his airtime to hit out at Pakatan Rakyat, stressing that his administration had met ETP targets and that people "should not experiment" and choose those with proven track record.

"We are unlike them who produce manifestos during election season but don't fulfill them when they form government.

"Then, with an unfulfilled manifesto, they print promises in the form of Buku Jingga which is ill-researched on the impact on national finances.

"And if that's not enough, a new manifesto is out even before the ink on Buku Jingga has dried," he said.

Najib said most of the objectives of the government's transformation plans were achieved which led to an improvement in the people's living standard, a growing economy and a stronger financial position for Malaysia.

Transparency and accountability

He said the planning and execution of the ETP and Government Transformation Programme (GTP) not only proved the determination of the government to steer the country based on the "1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now" concept, but were also the boldest experiments ever undertaken by any government in the world in practising the principles of transparency and accountability.

"GTP, ETP, NKRAs (National Key Result Areas), NKEAs (National Key Economic Areas) and EPPs (Entry Point Projects), were all formulated to improve the lives of all Malaysians in a structured manner.

"Furthermore, all these initiatives, none other than, are steps by the government to enable each and every Malaysian to gain access to the best that life can offer.

"Jobs with commensurate remuneration, the higher the skills and expertise one possesses, the higher the remuneration," he said, according to Bernama.

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