Lim questioned why such a large investment was needed to create new jobs.
The Penang chief minister said Pakatan Rakyat (PR) through its 100-day reform plan would be able to create more employment opportunities by restoring the country’s economy through careful spending as well as distribution of bonuses and incentives.
Earlier this week, Najib said the ETP has kicked into high gear, boosting the stock market and stimulating the country’s economy with some RM67 billion in investment.
Lim, in turn, questioned why such an amount was needed to create new job opportunities.
“In other words, RM67 billion is needed to create 35,000 new jobs … that is almost RM2 million for one new job.
“The huge amount of RM2 million for each new job shows leakages in Najib’s plans – in the form of corruption and mismanagement which can only be solved with PR’s victory in the coming elections,” said the DAP secretary-general in a statement.
The projects announced by the prime minister recently under the ETP include RM15 billion in investments in the oil and gas sector by oil majors and a RM1.25 billion Health Metropolis in Petaling Jaya by Universiti Malaya.
But it also included previously announced projects such as the RM36 billion KL MRT, the RM5 billion Pengerang oil storage facility and the Talent Corporation.
Najib also derided PR’s reforms plans, and said the proposals were “too good to be true” and would bankrupt the country.
Both rival coalitions are at great pains to prove they have a better economic plan for the one-time Asian Tiger which has been left behind due to affirmative-action policies that economists say has hurt the country,
In response today, Lim said that it was the Barisan Nasional (BN)’s spendthrift ways which would cause the country to suffer huge financial debts, and added that a vote for PR was the only solution to the country’s economical woes.
“BN’s mega projects have nothing to do with low income earners ... Malaysia has the highest income gap between the rich and the poor in the whole of Southeast Asia,” he added.
The Bagan MP said that PR’s policies will ensure that senior citizens, Felda settlers and other low-income earners are given financial assistance.
He cited Penang as a shining example of the success of PR’s policy plans, where it had earned praises from the Auditor-General’s report in 2009.
With Penang’s surplus budget totalling RM88 million in 2008 and RM77 million in 2009, Lim said that the state government was able to help combat poverty by making sure each family in the state earned a monthly income of RM500.
“We have allocated RM20 million as part of our senior citizen’s programme annually, with RM100 payments to those above the age of 60 ... this programme will be extended to single mothers as well as the physically-challenged by this year,” added the Penang CM.
He also said that RM11.3 million had been allocated to religious as well as Chinese and Tamil schools in the island state.
“All these people-friendly programmes have never been implemented during BN’s 51 year-rule but could be done within three years of PR’s rule in Penang,” said Lim.
PR is hoping that its reform plans will be able to tackle Najib’s ETP projects, and is also banking on its first-ever economic summit in March to expose the “sustainability” of the ETP.
Officials said the summit was also part of PR’s bid to disprove claims that the federal opposition had “unrealistic” economic reform plans.
The Malaysian Insider understands that the upcoming meet will flesh out details of the opposition’s 100 day reform plans unveiled during the second PR convention last month, as economic experts from various fields would be invited to the summit to give “critical and honest” feedback on PR’s economic agenda.
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