Pakatan Harapan has several prized assets which win votes, and according to PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli, the top two are Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor.

In third place is International Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Ahmad Maslan, who is a magnet for controversies.

“I hope Ahmad Maslan embarks on a nationwide campaign on this soon. Each time he opens his mouth - more people will run away from Umno and BN.

“Apart from Najib and Rosmah, Ahmad Maslan is easily Pakatan Harapan's third most prized asset in getting votes for us,” Rafizi (photo) told Malaysiakini .

The PKR leader was commenting on the deputy minister’s remarks during a talk show on TV3, where he said Malaysians must stop complaining about the cost of living.

Ahmad, who courted brickbats for suggesting Malaysians take up two jobs to increase their income, argued that such cost would not decrease anywhere.

He said Malaysians should change their attitude, learn to supplement their income and stop giving excuses.

“Shouting is pointless... We must change our attitude to become a nation of entrepreneurs.

“If we fail with plan A, don’t be disappointed because there are 25 other letters in the alphabet... There is still plan B, C, D and E,” he added.

However, his sales pitch failed to convince Rafizi, who claimed that Ahmad is naive and ignorant.

The Pandan lawmaker said the deputy minister did not take into account the two main factors that caused the strain on the people.

“Costs of daily essentials have shot up while salary increase does not catch up with the rate of increase in cost. Worse is when both these factors are greatly influenced by government policies.

“On the cost side, Najib administration's decision to phase out subsidy in all sectors at the same time that GST is implemented caused sudden increase in cost. The price hike is induced by the government - not due to a normal inflation as he alluded in his comment.

“At the same time, Najib's decision to keep the cheap labour policy by relying on foreign labours continues to keep wages down,” he argued.

Therefore, Rafizi said Ahmad's suggestion that the public should stop complaining and just work harder is an insult.

“We complain because it is the government's policies that push the prices up; with reversals of these policies the rakyat does not have to be burdened like this

“Even if everyone takes up more jobs to supplement their income, why should we sacrifice the time we should spend with our families so that we can pay to Putrajaya who takes this money and spends lavishly?” he asked.