PN offers higher water subsidy, civil servant bonus for Selangor

STATE POLLS | In an attempt to woo Selangor voters, Perikatan Nasional (PN) tonight unveiled its manifesto that contains a series of goodies and handouts for Selangorians.

It includes a promise to expand the subsidy for the first 20 cubic metres of water for households with monthly incomes of up to RM15,000.

PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin, who announced the manifesto, also dangled an offer to state civil service members. He offered an annual allowance equivalent to two months’ salary as a token of appreciation for their service.

“PN will also focus on assisting young families by offering several initiatives, including RM500 for newlyweds under the ‘Bina Keluarga Selangor’ programme.

“We will also offer ‘Lahir Selangor’ incentives worth RM500 to new mothers,” he said during the manifesto launch ceremony in Shah Alam.

Under the same objective to help new families, a booklet by Selangor PN states they also plan to offer a ‘Love Celebration’ honeymoon package for newlyweds.

This will be through a collaboration between state government agencies and Selangor tourism industry players.

According to Muhyiddin, if Selangor PN wins the state election, they will also provide monthly cash assistance of RM400 under ‘Bantuan Prihatin Keluarga Selangor’, which they expect will benefit some 65,000 families with a total state budget of RM312 million a year.

Aid for business owners, women

For business operators and traders, the manifesto offers to waive business license fees for hawkers, stalls, and markets in the state.

“We will fully waive business space rental fees for hawkers who are registered under local councils,” he said.

The coalition also promises more effective financial aid and childcare services for women in Selangor, especially targeting women entrepreneurs and working mothers.

As such, the proposed ‘Wanita Best’ initiative offers grants of up to RM10,000 for women business owners, while the Srikandi Profesional initiative (SriPro) aims to provide seed funds of up to RM50,000.

Muhyiddin also said RM50 million will be allocated to the state government and private agencies to establish more childcare facilities at work places, and childcare fees will be reduced to RM150 for over 50,000 families in need.

RM500 in financial support for widows and estranged mothers will also be given monthly under Inisiatif Wanita Waja. This is in addition to free counselling, mentoring, and skills training that will also be provided for them.

Education initiatives

For students, the proposed EduStart Selangor scheme promises to offer RM1,500 for all newly enrolled Selangor children within their first year of higher education, while matriculation and sixth-form students will be awarded a one-off amount of RM500.

PN is also planning to establish GigEduSelangor, responding to fluctuating demands of the gig economy, by offering up to RM1,500 for gig-economy-employed-youths who intend to further their studies.

A new scheme, Sekolah Prihatin Anak Selangor promises RM100 monthly for each student to ease transportation costs. This is in conjunction with local bus services which is expected to aid over 20,000 schoolgoers.

Other offers under the coalition’s manifesto include:

• Motorcyclists will receive RM700 a year for bike maintenance and insurance

• Allocation for Bantuan Prihatin Nelayan Selangor up to RM5 million annually, especially for boat engine maintenance costs and aquaculture equipment

• Parking fees in Selangor Utara to be abolished entirely, and costs will be shouldered by local councils

• Monthly wages and allowances for mosque staff under the Selangor government to be raised: up to RM1,700 for imams, RM800 for bilal, RM600 for ‘tok siak’, and RM600 for nazir

Vote wrongly and you'll end up like Kedah - Anwar warns Selangorians

'If Muhyiddin can't respect rulers, he won't respect rakyat' - Saifuddin

'Allah' case: Muhyiddin plays Christian card again, DAP wants probe

PN candidate: Can't stop Malay tsunami, Chinese can only join in