Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has announced that the government will provide an allocation of RM8.5 million to develop the Kelantan district of Machang.

“The allocation is for the rehabilitation of 100 houses belonging to poor households, to repair drains and damaged rural roads,” Najib said during a launch of a People’s Housing Project (PPR) in Machang today, as reported by The Star Online.

RM5 million of the allocation is meant for the construction of rural roads, while another RM2 million is for social amenities and RM1.53 million is to refurbish mosques and suraus.

This was Najib’s response to Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub, who had requested for allocations to improve facilities in Machang.

Ahmad Jazlan, who is also Umno Machang MP, had said in his speech that residents of Machang were hoping for greater development in their area.

He added that the Machang district does not fall under the jurisdiction of the South Kelantan Development Board (Kesedar) or the Kelantan Agriculture Development Board (Kada).

“I am just the middleman highlighting the needs of the people here to the BN government,” he said.

Kelantan is a PAS stronghold, with the Islamic party having ruled the state for decades.

It is only one out of three states in the country which is not under a BN-led state government.

According to Bernama, at the event Najib also announced 418 units of PPR houses being built at a cost of RM75 million in Kampung Batu 25, Machang, expected to be completed by early 2019.

He said the PPR, one among eight projects being completed and already completed in Kelantan, was part of his promise to the people of Machang a few years ago.

He said each unit of the PPR house was sold at RM35,000 per unit, with subsidies ranging from RM80,000 to RM120,000 and above, borne by the government based on the cost of construction and land prices for a PPR.

Najib, while praising PAS' "mature politics", was reported saying he hoped there would be a change in the state's support for BN in the coming general election.