Wednesday, February 10, 2010

July 11, 2009 15:53 PM

PM Najib Announces 11 People-friendly Measures On 100th Day In Office

KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak on Saturday announced 11 "people-friendly" measures in conjunction with his first 100 days in office as the prime minister, among them discounts for frequent users of toll roads, ownership of public housing to those renting them, and a new unit trust scheme.

Speaking at the "100 Days of Najib with the People" function at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) here, Najib said a 20 per cent discount would be given to users of the pre-paid Smart Tag and Touch n Go cards who pay toll 80 times or more in a month.

He said this was an interim solution pending the completion of a comprehensive study on the toll rates, which he felt would take time.

Najib said he had come to know that some users of toll roads paid about RM300 in toll a month out of their RM3,000 monthly salary, and added that these people only earned 11 months salary in a year because one month's salary went totally to toll payment.

"I believe this (discount) will come as a relief to the people, particularly those who use toll roads daily," he said to the applause of the more than 5,000 people inside and outside the packed convention centre.

In his 50-minute speech which he began at 11.11am to signify the first 100 days in office as the prime minister following his appointment on April 3, Najib also announced that people renting public housing in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur would be given the opportunity and option to buy the living quarters.

He said 44,000 units of such houses were being offered for sale and that this would enable people of the low-income group to own houses.

Another of the people-friendly measures was the reduction by half of the licence renewal fee for hawkers and petty traders in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.

Najib said an appeal for the licence fee to be reduced was made at a function he attended with the Federation of Malay Hawkers and Petty Traders Associations of Malaysia in Tanjung Karang, Selangor, last month.

"This will bring much relief. I hope the states will also emulate the example of the Federal Territory. Hopefully, other licence fees will also be reduced," he said.

Najib also announced that the government would increase by 3,000 the number of taxi permits for individuals over the next three months, augmenting the 7,000 individual taxi permits already given out.

The prime minister said taxi drivers must be helped out because many of them had to pay a daily rental of RM50 besides having to foot the cost of fuel, etc.

Najib also announced that the fee for learning to ride motorcycles in Class B2 of 250cc and below would be reduced to RM211 per person.

He said he found that many motorcyclists, especially youngsters who used cub motorcycles to go here and there, did not have a licence because it cost them between RM500 and RM700 to learn to ride a motorcycle and go for the test.

"After negotiations with the driving schools, the fee for learning to ride motorcycles (of 250cc and below) is reduced to RM211," he said, adding that based on the applause from the audience it was a right decision.

Najib also said that by 2010, some 10,000 hardcore poor urban households in the e-Kasih welfare programme would be given 10,000 units of the Amanah Saham in a move to eradicate urban poverty.

He said a new unit trust scheme called Amanah Saham 1Malaysia would be launched soon with a size of 10 billion units and would be made available to all Malaysians aged 18 and above.

Najib also announced that the allocation for the Tekun scheme would be raised by RM150 million and that RM15 million would be reserved for the nurturing of young Indian entrepreneurs.

The prime minister also said that the government would take drastic measures to reduce crime and corruption in the country, and that details would be announced at the end of the month.

Another of Najib's people-friendly measures is related to the registration of births.

He said many people registered births late and the government wanted to rectify this situation.

Najib said that in Sabah 36,000 applications for registration of births were received since 2005 and that 92 per cent of these were approved.

In Sarawak, 19,000 applications were received from that year and of these 80 per cent were approved.

On citizenship, he said that the number of applications pending as at Nov 1 last year was 34,000 and that as of last month 46 per cent had been resolved and that efforts would be intensified to resolve the remaining applications.

Najib also touched on the rural infrastructure in Sabah and Sarawak and said the government would double to 1,500 kilometres the rural roads to be constructed in both states under the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011-2015).

The ongoing ninth plan calls for construction of 750 kilometres of rural roads in the two states.

Najib also said that potable water supply in Sabah was at the 52 per cent stage and in Sarawak at 61 per cent and that this would be improved, along with electricity supply, details of which would be announced at the end of the month.

The prime minister described today's function as "a historic gathering" and said the announcements he had made were "special decisions for the people of Malaysia".

"I wish to invite all of you and the young as well to join me in charting a future for Malaysia which promises better and more just opportunities for everyone with one hope," he said.

-- BERNAMA

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