PH building its campaign on manifesto

Election promises: (From left) Tangau, Syed Saddiq, Loke, Anwar and Mohamad holding a copy of Tawaran Harapan. — KK SHAM/The Star

KLANG: Tawaran Harapan, the election manifesto of Pakatan Harapan, is geared towards rebuilding Malaysia, says coalition chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The manifesto, which was launched yesterday, outlined Pakatan’s 10 priorities including managing the cost of living, combating corruption and strengthening democracy, empowering economic opportunities for the youth, saving the lost generation in education, building disaster mitigation measures and enhancing protection for the people.

It also seeks to address the issue of contract doctors and providing robust welfare for healthcare workers, eliminating gender inequality and enhancing women’s socio-economic participation, empowering the regions of Sabah and Sarawak, improving the competitiveness of Malaysians and preserving the environment for future generations.

The manifesto can be read in full at https://kitaboleh.my/en/home-english/Anwar said the movement restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic had led to many people living in poverty, especially those from the Orang Asli and Indian communities.

Given this, Pakatan’s plans would be the best to address this situation and that the coalition would stand in unison with all races, he said.

He urged the people to vote for Pakatan so that what had gone wrong could be put right through the ballot box.

At a press conference, Anwar dispelled questions that the election manifesto was populist in nature.

“We took into consideration the cost and financial implications and the demands of the people.

“It is not accurate to call it populist. It should be acceptable and popular but tied to the larger framework of the economy by ensuring growth,’’ he said.

But first, he said Pakatan had to gain the people’s support and then implement the programmes under the manifesto soon after that.

The manifesto would be implemented within five years of Pakatan taking over the Federal Government as well as in line with the nation’s financial status.

Yesterday’s launch was attended by other Pakatan leaders including DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, Upko president Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau and Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

Loke said in his speech that Pakatan’s preparation for GE15 was the best he had ever seen.

“All Pakatan leaders have agreed that cooperation is paramount. This cooperation will be the basis for us to achieve success,” he said.