Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today announced 11 populist measures in the bid to win back support from voters after the ruling coalition suffered an unprecedented electoral setback last year.

najib 100 day bash 110709 najib 02 Speaking before 3,000-strong crowd at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre this morning, the sixth prime minister marked his 100 days in office by announcing a 20-percent discount for frequent toll users and up to 70 percent reduction for driver’s licence fees for motorbikes.

Najib hinted that more new measures would be introduced as these latest announcements were just “a beginning” for his three-month-old government.

The measures are:

1) From Sept 1, motorists who use tolls 80 times or more in one month will enjoy a 20-percent discount.

2) Tenants in the Federal Territory will be given the opportunity to buy their own houses from the 44,000 units offered by the government.

najib 100 day bash 110709 crowd inside 03 3) Small traders and vendors in the Federal Territory will be given a 50-percent discount for their licence renewal fees. Meanwhile, the government will also allocate RM150 million to Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (Tekun) and RM15 million to Indian young entrepreneurs.

4) The government will add more taxi permits. As of now, 70,000 individual taxi permits have been offered and 3,000 more permits will be approved in the next three months.

5) The government will take some drastic measures to fight crime and corruption, the details of which will be revealed at the end of this month.

6) The government is also in the midst of overcoming the birth certificates issue in Sabah and Sarawak. Since 2005, Sabah has 36,000 applications and 92 percent of which have been approved. At the same time, Sarawak has 19,000 applications and 80 percent of which have also been approved. The rest will be resolved in the near future.

najib 100 day bash 110709 crowd outside 7) As of June 2009, the government has also resolved 46 percent of 34,000 delayed citizenship applications. The rest of it will be settled at the end of the year.

8) The government will build more roads in Sabah and Sarawak - from 750km to 1,500km - and this will be addressed in the 10th Malaysian Plan.

9) Water and electric supply in Sabah and Sarawak will also be improved, the details of which will be revealed at the end of the month.

10) Driving licence fees for motorcyclists will be reduced from the existing RM500-RM700 to RM211 (beginning Sept 1).

11) 20,000 family members of hardcore poverty in urban area will be given 10,000 houses under the trust fund, Skim Amanah Saham Wawasan. In addition to this scheme, a new ‘1Malaysia’ trust fund will be set up and is open to Malaysians aged 18 years and above.

‘Today is all about you’

Clad in a short-sleeved white shirt with the ‘1Malaysia’ logo emblazoned on it, Najib worked overtime to woo the crowd - a third of whom are students - with his 50-minute long speech.

“Today is all about you, the people of Malaysia,” said Najib, drawing applause and cheers from the floor, including all the top leaders from the Barisan Nasional coalition.

najib 100 day bash 110709 crowd inside 01 According to the prime minister, the people are the ones who made him what he is today and this was the reason behind his ‘1Malaysia’ concept although many questions remain about his ability to reform the government.

“For me, the answer is simple. We are a big family, no matter who we are, no matter what we believe in. Indeed, the people are the most important component to ensure whether the country fails or succeeds,” he said.

The 56-year-old premier has faith that the people from various ethnic backgrounds will have the ability to succeed in globalised world if “they mould together as one dream, one people and one nation”, he added with great emotions.

Najib also said that a prime minister who chooses to “sit in an air-conditioned room to listen to briefings and receive reports that could be incomplete” does not show that he is concerned and sincere about the plight of the people.

“For me, a concerned and people-driven leader would want to go out of the (office) and witness with his own eyes and listen with his own ears the people’s problems.

“That is why I chose a walkabout concept, which can be translated to ‘tinjauan mesra’ (friendly observation) to be closer to the people,” he said.

Government knows-all era has ended

Najib added that in order to win the hearts and minds of the people, the government must be committed and serious in solving problems, otherwise he as the country’s leader would be held responsible.

najib 100 day bash 110709 najib 01 “I have mentioned before that today’s gathering is all about the people and we need to show not only we are committed to them, but we are decisive in whatever we do.

“We would not want a country that is unstable and filled with uncertainties. We should also stop making hasty decisions without listening to the people. The government knows-all era has ended,” he said.

For instance, he said, the review of controversial Internal Security Act must to be done with consultation from the Bar Council and the civil society.

He also said that the government needs to enable the people’s potential to be fulfilled, in particular by being fair to those who live in the poorer rural areas.

najib 100 day bash 110709 vip It would be a waste for the youth to migrate to another country in order to get their talents recognised, he said.

With this, he argued, the government would provide equality of access to the people, but this may not necessarily result in the equality of outcome.

“It is up to the people whether or not to take up the opportunity that is widely provided by the government,” he said.

Full text of Najib’s speech (in Bahasa Malaysia)