BALIK PULAU – Pakatan Harapan (PH) has promised to put priority on increasing salaries for public and private sectors should the opposition coalition regain federal power after the 15th general election (GE15).
PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli claimed the salary scale in Malaysia has fallen and is one of the lowest in the region – largely due to mismanagement, abuses, scandals and the inability of the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) governments to expand the economy.
“We need to increase the salary scale gradually and in tandem with rising living costs. We need to relook at our inflation rate.
“We are committed (to this initiative) if given a chance to govern the country again,” he told the crowd in a ceramah here last night.
One of its plans is to provide funding to employers as part of a wage subsidy programme.
Rafizi said many voters might not realise this, but when PH was running the federal government, many key portfolios were dominated by representatives of PN linchpin Bersatu – from the Home Ministry to the National Higher Education Fund Corporation.
He also apologised on PH’s behalf to non-Muslims, who were made scapegoats by the BN and PN – especially PN component PAS that uses race and religion to disrupt national harmony.
“There is one PAS speaker who spoke about violence against non-Muslims. Do not worry, PH will stand with all Malaysians. We need the Malays, Chinese, Indians, and other minorities to save this country.”
Meanwhile, he claimed that PH is steadily gaining support to achieve a simple majority in Dewan Rakyat as the coalition has heeded the people’s message.
“The people sent a message during the Melaka and Johor (state elections)...we must represent their interest and not be preoccupied with who becomes prime minister.”
PH lost several seats it gained from the 2018 general election after the Melaka and Johor state elections. – The Vibes, November 15, 2022