KUALA LUMPUR: An analyst has expressed disappointment with Perikatan Nasional's (PN) 15th General Election (GE15) manifesto, saying it offers little on how to manage the economic downturn expected next year.
He believes the manifesto contained only "rebranded old promises" and lacked practical long- and short-term solutions to help the country weather the economic storm.
Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub of Universiti Malaya said although the coalition's pitch sounded attractive, the promises scratched only the surface of problems without any in-depth approach.
"The promises are old offers being rebranded to attract voters. It's shallow.
"Promises of considering Employees Provident Fund withdrawals and a 25 per cent discount for Higher Education Fund Corporation borrowers who graduate with a second-class degree are old news.
"What's more disappointing is the promise to declare a public holiday if it wins GE15.
"This is akin to belittling voters, thinking they could be enticed into supporting PN (with such a promise) when people could just take a day off from work," he told the New Straits Times.
Tawfik said PN should focus on finding realistic solutions to people's struggles rather than making "political promises" without clear, in-depth strategies.
He said political parties must focus on short- and long-term solutions since an economic downturn was expected next year.
He said an impractical manifesto would put more strain on the economy.
"The cost of living is rising and people are barely surviving. This should be the focus because people's lives are much more important than any party's political ambitions.
"I don't see how any of the initiatives announced on Sunday could cushion the economic impact next year.
"If we want to ensure stability, we must be realistic in our promises, which means everything we are promising to the people, we must take into account the ability of our economy to survive the downturn in 2023.
"Our debt is over RM1 trillion. This is not the time to promise the stars and the moon because doing so will make things worse for the people and the government to manage the economy."
PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Sunday unveiled PN's manifesto, themed "Caring, Clean and Stable: Malaysia Gemilang" or "PN Best", which had 234 pledges, packaged into 12 pillars and 30 approaches.
Among the pledges are discounts for first-time housebuyers, sports and community centres in each district, and empowering youth entrepreneurs through digital and future industries, such as financial technology, robotics and electric vehicles.