Nga: Harapan can mend economy, S’poreans will come to M’sia for work

Malaysians will no longer have to travel to Singapore in search of work if Pakatan Harapan comes to power, according to DAP national vice-chairperson Nga Kor Ming.

Speaking at a fundraising dinner in Muar, Johor, last night, he claimed Harapan would boost the nation’s economy to the point that Singaporeans would flock to Malaysia for employment instead.

Nga (above) said the coalition’s chairperson Anwar Ibrahim, who was once named among the top four finance ministers in the region, is capable of resetting the nation’s ailing finances.

Apart from the value of the ringgit sliding, he claimed foreign investors do not have confidence in the current administration and the situation would become worse if BN wins the polls.

“If BN wins, the exchange rate between the US dollar and ringgit will become US$1 to RM5 and Singapore dollar to ringgit will become S$1 to RM3.50. The youth in Johor will be forced to work in Singapore.

“If this happens, the furniture industry in Muar will not be able to hire locals. Johoreans will wake up at 5am to cross into Singapore for work and return home at night.

“So, we have to change the government. Then, Singaporeans can come to Malaysia to work, not the other way around,” he added.

Close to one million Malaysians are working in Singapore. The Johor Bahru-Singapore border congestion has been a long-standing issue affecting both countries.

Nga pointed out that under DAP’s rule for three terms, Penang has become the largest export state in Malaysia, whereas the Harapan-governed Selangor’s state reserve increased from RM300 million to RM3.4 billion between 2008 and 2022.

The DAP leader also claimed that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was attempting to hoodwink voters into believing that if BN wins the election, Ismail Sabri Yaakob would be appointed prime minister again.

He reminded voters of how Johor Umno chairperson Hasni Mohamad was named as the menteri besar candidate before the state election in March but it was former premier Najib Abdul Razak’s cousin, Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who was later sworn in for the post.

Nga claimed a similar scenario would unravel at the federal level as Zahid, who is “desperate to escape his court cases”, will be appointed as the prime minister in order “to intervene with the judicial process”.

As for Perikatan Nasional, the DAP vice-chairperson said a vote for the coalition is akin to supporting PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

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