BN, too, offers free water in bid to recapture Selangor

In its bid to wrest Selangor from Pakatan Rakyat, BN tonight unveiled that it is offering free water for the first 20 cubic metres of usage.

This is the same promise fulfilled by the Pakatan government after winning the state in the 2008 election.

This was in the  manifesto launched by state BN chief and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (right in photo) in Shah Alam tonight.

Besides providing free water, BN Selangor also promised that its state government will replace bulk meters with individual meters for free, in flats and condominiums.

It has been reported that residents in flats and condos have problems getting the free water allocation, as their residences uses the bulk meters which is being maintained by the management.

Presently, the Selangor Pakatan government is having a legal battle with Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) and it had already proposed to take over the water utility company.

The water issue was one of the popular Pakatan promises which helped it win the 2008 election.

Other goodies

Other goodies include giving RM200 book vouchers for students sitting for their UPSR, PMR and SPM examinations and free online tuition for students sitting for these exams.

There will also be scholarships and convertible loans of up to RM80,000 for those pursuing tertiary education.

In addition, all Selangor-born students offered places for diploma and degree courses will receive respectively RM1,000 and RM1,500.

The manifesto also proposes the creation of a new economic zone called the Global Logistic Hub between Port Klang, Kota Raja and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang which is expected to create 560,000 employment opportunities.

The other major announcements in the BN Selangor manifesto titled 'Peace, Stability and Prosperity' include:
- Providing additional cost of living assistance of RM250 to eligible single mothers, the elderly, the disabled and the poor.

- Expanding health services through a wider network of Klinik Rakyat 1Malaysia across the state, opening one-stop centres for haemodialysis, chronic diseases, and women's health and fertility.

- Abolishing quit rent for households in low-cost housing schemes and PPR houses owners registered with e-Kasih.

- Providing Yayasan Selangor monthly schooling aid of RM80 for primary and RM150 for secondary school students from hardcore poor families.
- Giving free school uniforms and school bags for the poor.

- Providing free transportation coupons for students from poor families.

- RM5,000 annually for residents' associations in traditional villages, new villages and others for community-building activities.

- Special administrative fund to registered joint management bodies (JMBs) up to RM5,000 annually.

- Establishment of town council committees with an annual allocation of RM5,000 annually.

- RM1,000 annual allocation as operational funding to registered social clubs and public service associations.

- RM5,000 annual allocation to the plantation residents' committees.

- RM5,000 annual allocation to Rukun Tetangga organisations to boost their activities in making communities safe.

- RM5,000 annual allocation for management and development purposes to registered mosques and other places of worship.

- Free Wifi and broadband services in selected areas.

- 25,000 units of Rumah Mesra Rakyat and hardcore poor housing scheme PPRT for rakyat valued at RM50,000.

- 25,000 housing units of 1,000 sq ft with a maximum price of RM300,000 for those earning between RM3,000 and RM5,000.

- Assistance under the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scheme to assist the poor to repair their houses.

- Facilitate payments for second and third generation Felda housing schemes.

- Provide transit homes in Gombak, Ampang, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Klang for students and newly-weds from the rural areas who migrate to urban centres to work or study.

- Allocation of a one-off payment of RM500 to all newborns to be deposited into the National Education Savings scheme.

- Create a Special Education Fund worth RM10 million for children of estate workers and Orang Asli.

- Continue to establish UiTM Selangor at Serendah, Hulu Selangor

- Raise the minimum salaries or allowances of SAR, SRA and Kafa teachers to RM1,500.

- Upgrade selected Chinese and Tamil primary schools at identified areas to high performance school status
   
- Selangor Microcredit Scheme will provide funding of up to RM250 million as start-up capital for new businesses.

- Provision of soft loans amounting to a maximum of RM40,000 to participants in the Feed in Tariff programme using solar energy.

- Introduction of a management incentive programme for individuals, businesses and industries to encourage participation in the alternative renewable energy and efficient environmental protection scheme.