Zurairi AR, The Malaysian Insider
As the federal government prepares to hand out cash aid to millions of Malaysian households in the next few weeks, the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition is set to be a major beneficiary in terms of votes in this year’s general election, political analysts and even opposition lawmakers have conceded.
They expect the 1 Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) handout to be a swing factor, particularly in rural areas.
“BR1M will provide a huge multiplier effect, not only economically, but to draw votes towards the ruling government,” said Asri Salleh from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Terengganu.
“The recipients will mostly be the hardcore poor and urban poor, so it will definitely swing votes.”
This view was echoed by the DAP.
“They’ll have a big impact. Especially in “protecting” their traditional votes in the rural areas ... That’s the reason why (the prime minister) keeps postponing polls,” DAP’s Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua said.
Pua, who is also the DAP Selangor deputy chief, said that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (picture) had missed his chance to call the polls after the first BR1M aid was handed out last year.
“He now knows that he has to call elections within three months of BR1M 2.0 so that the positive effect will not disappear, as people (tend to) forget after three months,” said Pua.
Unlike BN, Pua explained that PR do not have the same financial muscle, especially in states not ruled by them, like Johor, Pahang and Perak, so it will be difficult for them to counter the feel-good effect of BR1M in the rural areas.
A major sum of RM3 billion will be allocated for BR1M 2.0, a more than 40 per cent increase from the RM2.1 billion allocated for the first BR1M.
