PH absolutely sucks in promoting its achievements.
History will record how opposition Pakatan Harapan stunningly defeated the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government in the 2018 General Election. For the first time in history, the corrupt UMNO-led BN coalition lost power after 61 years of one-party rule. And for the first time in history, a former prime minister – Najib Razak – was arrested, charged, convicted and imprisoned for corruption.
Unfortunately, the democratically-elected multiracial government collapsed after just 22 months in power – betrayed by ally, friends and comrades. Power-hungry Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, together with 11 PKR traitors led by Azmin Ali, pulled out and formed a backdoor regime called Perikatan Nasional after a backroom deal with defeated UMNO and extremist PAS Islamist party.
The so-called Malay-Muslim Perikatan Nasional regime, under the false pretext of “Malay unity”, was a loosely glued alliance formed for the sake of money, power and position. As predicted, the fake Malay-centric backdoor government did not last long. Traitor Muhyiddin himself was betrayed by an UMNO faction aligned to Najib and Zahid Hamidi, president of UMNO.
Mahiaddin (Muhyiddin) lasted only 17 months. His successor, turtle-egg Ismail Sabri, did worse when he was forced by party chief Zahid to dissolve the Parliament, paving the way for the 15th General Election, after just 14 months in power. For the first time in history, Malaysia had three prime ministers in about four years – two of them were backdoor premiers (Mahiaddin and Sabri).
The 31 months under the backdoor Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) regime were worse than the 22-month Pakatan Harapan (PH) government. However, the biggest mistake of PH was its failure to “communicate” after taking over the government, allowing not only UMNO crooks and PAS radicals to play race and religion cards, but also spread fake news about PH.
The false perception that the people had suffered incredibly during the 22-month under PH continues till today, even though it was not true. Yes, PH has done a terrible job in trumpeting its achievements over the 22 months. But exactly what had PH really done within that short period of time? Below are at least 22 achievements which it fails to communicate.
1. Abolish 6% GST
The highly unpopular Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced effective April 1, 2015, collecting about RM44 billion annually. During the 4 years of GST, about RM135 billion (2015 – RM27 billion; 2016 – RM43 billion; 2017 – RM44 billion; 2018 – RM21 billion) had been collected. When it was first introduced, PM Najib falsely claimed that the GST would tax the rich and reward the poor.
Yet, prices of goods had continued to skyrocket, despite guarantee from a genius like Ahmad Maslan that GST will lower prices based on the argument that the old SST (Sales and Services Tax) was 10% while GST was only 6%. The gimmick saw the poor, especially the ethnic Malay and B40 and M40 households, suffered tremendously as a result of the spike in essential goods and foods.
2. Refund outstanding GST
After the new government of Pakatan Harapan took over, it found that as of May 31, 2018 the outstanding GST refund amount stood at RM19.39 billion. The best part was those money went missing from government coffers during Najib Razak’s tenure. The “missing money” had been quietly moved to the government’s consolidated account instead of the GST refund account.
As a result, GST refunds were not paid for two years because 93% of the money had not been placed into the correct account. While Najib insisted no money was stolen, the fact remained that the money did not belong to the government to be spent as and when the PM likes. One could only imagine what will happen to the diverted RM19.4 billion had the corrupt Najib administration not been defeated in 2018.
3. Stabilize petrol price
Petrol price for RON95 was fixed at a ceiling price of RM2.20 per litre in May 2018 (later lowered to RM2.08 per litre in February 2019) during the Pakatan Harapan administration, without which the people would suffer today as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The price of RON95 could easily double to above RM4.50 per litre during the oil crisis, which saw crude oil hitting as high as US$130 a barrel.
During the Najib administration, there was “no ceiling price” and the fuel price at stations would be adjusted or “floated” on a monthly basis according to the global crude oil prices. In June 2020, however, backdoor PM Muhyiddin revoked the petrol price control order that has restricted the maximum price of RON 95 petrol to RM2.08 per litre and diesel to RM2.18 per litre.
4. Reduce broadband internet prices
In June 2018, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo announced that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has implemented the Mandatory Standard on Access Pricing (MSAP). It was an order by Pakatan Harapan to fixed broadband operators to slash prices by at least 25% by the end of 2018 to enable more Malaysians to enjoy better Internet for a cheaper price.
As a result, the country’s fixed broadband packages have increased from 10 Mbps to 30 Mbps, while the price has dropped from RM130 to RM79 per month. Another great achievement was being one of the first countries in Southeast Asia to start the groundwork on 5G, paving the way to usher in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0).
5. Unlimited travel pass to reduce cost of living
In December 2018, the PH government officially launched the unlimited travel pass, known as My100 and My50, in a move to reduce the cost of living for the people – meeting the 14th General Election promise. The cashless travel pass reduces the travelling cost of commuters, with those staying in Kajang (for example), but working at KLCC, by at least RM180 a month.
The My100 pass (RM100) allows commuters to access unlimited ride for 30 days on all forms of RapidKL rail and road transport, including MRT, LRT, monorail, BRT Sunway, RapidKL buses and MRT feeder buses. The My50 pass (RM50), meanwhile, allows commuters to enjoy unlimited rides for a period of 30 days on all RapidKL buses and MRT feeder buses – except BRT.
6. Reduce PLUS highway tolls
Despite lopsided concession agreements where privatisation of toll roads, disguised as a mega plan to promote Malay entry into business, but has in reality only enriched a handful of UMNO-Malay elites, Pakatan Harapan had managed to lower PLUS toll prices by 18%. During Barisan Nasional regime in over 60 years, it had never reduced toll prices without compensating toll operators.
For example, when Najib removed the Batu Tiga and Sungai Rasau toll booths, the hidden agreement between the prime minister and PLUS was an extension of toll collection for 20 years to 2038. After Sabri dissolved the Parliament, he also followed the footstep by announcing a reduction in toll rates across six highways (but without disclosing how many years of extension he granted to concessionaires).
7. Abolish blacklisting policy affecting 433,000 PTPTN Borrowers
The names of 429,945 National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan defaulters had been removed from the Immigration blacklist since May 2018 after Pakatan Harapan government took over. The “whitening” process of the borrowers’ names was completed in June 8, 2018. It was part of the 100-day pledge made by PH government to fulfil its manifesto during the 14th General Election.
Subsequently, in July 2018, PTPTN allowed borrowers with salaries below RM4,000 a month to defer repaying their study loans – in line with the PH manifesto. Under the BN government, more than a million borrowers had been blacklisted since 2000, but 655,000 borrowers who had made their loan repayment had been removed from the list.
8. Rescue Felda and Tabung Haji
After the crooked Najib silently plundered and stole billions from Felda (Federal Land Development Authority) and Lembaga Tabung Haji, the new PH government found to their horror that both Malay entities were on the brink of bankruptcy. As a result, a whopping RM24 billion was pumped in to rescue the smallholder farming agency Felda and Muslim pilgrimage fund.
After years of financial mismanagement and fraud under UMNO, especially under Najib administration, the Pakatan Harapan government had allocated RM6.3 billion to bail out Felda and another RM17.8 billion on a restructuring plan for Lembaga Tabung Haji. The money could be used to build 201,870 homes for poor families (based on RM118,888 per home under PR1MA housing scheme).
9. Allocation to vernacular schools
For decades, Chinese and Tamil schools were ignored by the racist UMNO-Barisan Nasional government. After taking over the government in 2018, PH’s Budget 2019 saw allocations of RM50 million each for Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools. In addition, RM15 million for Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan (SMJK) and RM12 million for Chinese private secondary schools were given.
In the Budget 2020, PH government allocated RM127 million to vernacular schools, including RM15 million to all the Chinese Independent School, leading to protests from some racist UMNO-Malay politicians. However, under the backdoor Muhyiddin regime, allocation for Chinese Independent School dropped to “zero” – Budget 2021 did not even mention any allocation for vernacular schools.
10. EPF contribution for housewife ( (i-Suri)
As part of the PH government’s financial aid for housewives, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) credited payment totalling RM9.51 million to the accounts of Caruman Sukarela i-Suri members for 2018. The first phase involved RM5 minimum monthly deposit by i-Suri members that is then matched by a RM40 contribution from the government.
The second phase – government’s contribution being raised to RM50, of which RM10 will go to the Social Security Organisation. The third phase involves 2% being transferred from a husband’s EPF account to that of the housewife’s. However, this requires changes to the Section 51 of the EPF Act 1991. An estimated 221,890 housewives are eligible for the programme.
11. Reduce Cabinet size
To increase efficiency and save cost, there were only 55 posts in the Cabinet of Pakatan Harapan. However, after the power-crazy Muhyiddin (Bersatu), Najib (UMNO) and Hadi Awang (PAS) seized power in the March 2020 political coup, the Cabinet ballooned to 73 posts, including four special envoys with ministerial rank – the most bloated Cabinet ever.
After Muhyiddin lost power, he shamelessly joined the same traitors who toppled him in the same oversized Cabinet where PM Ismail Sabri appointed more advisers, who were paid RM50,000 each a month. Both PN and BN had no choice but to create positions so that there would be enough seats to be divided among political parties to keep every politician happy.
12. Prosecute Najib and UMNO crooks
Corruption has been plaguing the country for 61 years, primarily because corrupt UMNO-Malay leaders were untouchable. After the PH government took over, for the first time, a powerful former prime minister – Najib Razak – was arrested, charged and eventually sent to 12 years in prison for corruption. His wife, Rosmah Mansor, has also been found guilty and is appealing her conviction.
Other UMNO crooks charged for money laundering and corruption included Zahid Hamidi, Ahmad Maslan, Tengku Adnan, Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim and his brother Abdul Latif, Shahrir Samad, Musa Aman, Bung Moktar and his wife, as well as Najib’s stepson Riza Aziz. However, most of them have been freed after backdoor PM Muhyiddin snatched power in March 2020.
13. Improve CPI (Corruption Perception Index)
PH government’s initiative to combat corruption saw Malaysia moved up 10 spots to 51st position among 180 countries in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2019. The country’s score also improved to 53 out of 100 points on the CPI survey, an improvement from the 47 points in 2018. Among ASEAN countries, Malaysia was ranked third behind Singapore and Brunei.
The improvement in the global ranking was due to the swift action taken by the PH government to address the scandals in 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), SRC International, Felda and Tabung Haji after it came to power. However, the CPI 2021 plunged two years consecutively to rank 62 in the global rankings after PN and BN seized power through the backdoor and freed all the crooks.
14. Reduce inflation by 84%
The average inflation rate under PH government in June-October 2018 recorded 0.56%, compared to 3.6% under BN government in June-October 2017 – an improvement of 84%. According to World Data, Malaysia’s inflation for the year 2018 and 2019 was 0.88% and 0.66% respectively. The low inflation was achieved thanks primarily to the scrapping of GST and fixing the petrol price.
In 2020, inflation dropped to negative 1.14% as a result of massive Covid-19 lockdowns. The inflation skyrocketed to 2.48% in 2021 under the PN (Bersatu) and BN (UMNO) backdoor administrations. In August 2022, under PM Ismail Sabri, the country’s inflation escalated to 4.7% – the highest in 16 months – before it fell slightly to 4.5% in September 2022.
15. Stable and strong Ringgit currency
During the 22 months under the PH government, the local currency – Ringgit – was trading between RM3.90 and RM4.20 to a US dollar. However, during the 31 months of the PN and BN clueless and incompetent administrations, the Ringgit plunged to RM4.74 to the greenback – its lowest value since the 1997-1998 Asian Financial Crisis, and it is on its way to a historical low – RM4.80 and beyond.
16. Reduce special lottery draws to 8 from 22
When the PH government reduced special lottery draws for 4D forecast operators to just eight a year from 22 under Najib’s BN government in an effort to curb gambling, even PAS Islamist party praised the new government. Hilariously, the same Bersatu-UMNO-PAS “Malay-Muslim” government immediately restored the special draws to 22 after they snatched power.
17. Smoking ban in eateries
In Oct 2018, the PH government decided to ban smoking in all eateries, including open-air hawker centres, beginning Jan 1, 2019. Despite objections from smokers and restaurant operators, Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly stood his ground and asserted that the decision was made with public interest in mind. This has led to a “significant decrease” in the number of people smoking in public.
18. Free healthcare via “Skim Peduli Kesihatan”
Taking the cue from the Selangor state government funded “Skim Peduli Sihat (SPS)” initiative in 2017 to provide healthcare coverage to the bottom 40% of household income class (B40), the PH government introduced “Skim Peduli Kesihatan” (PeKA B40) on April 15, 2019 to provide free health screening, medical device up to RM20,000 and RM500 transport allowance to B40 group. The programme had benefited over 454,000 people by Sept 2021.
19. Free pneumococcal vaccination for kids
In the 2020 Budget, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng announced the allocation of RM60 million to provide free pneumococcal vaccination for all children under the age of two years. Pneumococcus is the most common cause of bloodstream infections, pneumonia, meningitis, and middle ear infections. The previous BN government refused to fund the vaccination due to high cost – RM1,200 per child (RM300 per jab – full course requiring four jabs at 2, 4, 6 and 14 months after birth).
20. Establish Syarie Legal Profession Bill
Despite years of request to the BN government, it was only after Pakatan Harapan became the government that the Syarie Legal Profession (Federal Territories) Bill 2019 was finally passed in July 2019. It was aimed at establishing the Syarie Legal Profession Qualifying Board, Syariah Lawyers’ Body and the Federal Territories Syarie Lawyers Council to ensure professional practices, behaviour and code of conduct.
21. Establish Special Muslim Marriage Court
A special marriage, “hadhanah” (child custody) and “nafkah” (maintenance) court which has the authority to confiscate the property of a man who has failed to provide for his ex-wife was set up in 2019 under PH government. The special Muslim court was a reflection of the commitment by Pakatan Harapan to protect the rights of women.
22. e-Wallet initiative
While UMNO hardcore supporters constantly laugh at the paltry RM30 given via e-wallet by the PH government to 15 million Malaysians beginning January 2020, the initiative had resulted in a shift in users going cashless – an important development that would prove useful during the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, the digital culture has seen a transition towards a cashless community.
Yes, Pakatan Harapan (PH) absolutely sucks in promoting its achievements. Even after it was betrayed and lost power in March 2020, the coalition appeared to be not interested in defending itself while crooked Najib spent millions of stolen money recruiting cyber troopers to spread fake news or half-baked tales against the PH’s 22-month administration.
Exactly why didn’t Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo use government resources at his disposal to disseminate information to the public is beyond comprehension. Clearly, the information chief of PH has done a horrible job, a failure that could cost the opposition its chance to win the upcoming national election if it is still in slumber. – Finance Twitter