Broken Promises On Both Sides

PKR promised cheaper cars, abolish PTPTN loans and toll, free water, free education, special allowances for single mothers, reduction in assessment tax on residential and commercial properties, financial assistance for pre-school education, university students, senior citizens and the disabled; free healthcare for those over 65;  minimum wage of RM4,000 for every family.

Citing Selangor as an example, Pakatan has implemented only 15 per cent of the RM2.4 billion worth of its 31 election pledges made in its 2008 manifesto.

Selangor’s Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim has even gone so far as to say that a manifesto is not a promise but conceded that voters may think otherwise. Why the back-pedaling?

Let’s take just two items from the list above - providing free secondary education would cost the government RM43 billion, while abolishing car duty would cut tax revenue by RM4.6 billion a year.

The BN is equally guilty of a string of broken promises. Now both sides are at it again, holding out candy like free education/lower oil prices or BR1M, PR1MA, etc.  Both sides have not provided enough information and a workable formula on how to implement these policies. They are basically saying vote for me and I will give you benefits.

The Spanker says:

Both BN and PR will need to appeal to young, first-time voters given that nearly three million people in this crucial voting bloc have been added to the electoral register since the last election.

The bulk of this group is undecided about which party to vote for and could swing the outcome of GE13. The stakes are high for both sides and the bidding war is only going to escalate as both sides make preparations for what will be one of the hardest-fought elections in Malaysia’s history.