Opening PKR congress, PM Anwar says unity govt's economic policies put people first

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 25 — Prime Minister and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim opened his party's congress here tonight trumpeting the many economic policies rolled out in the first year of his premiership, as the unity government faces criticism that it is not doing enough to tackle soaring prices and living cost pressure.

Addressing hundreds of delegates, Anwar said his coalition government has put in place economic plans that "empower" the average people by raising spending on infrastructures and welfare programmes.

These policies, the PKR president asserted, were far more people-centric compared to those implemented by his predecessors, saying they will enrich the commoner more than the wealthy business class that has long benefited from past administrations.

"Under the two Madani Budgets, we focused on spending that prioritised the rakyat. This is why we began with fixing dilapidated schools regardless of which stream. We fixed their toilets," he said.

"Now, Kuala Lumpur shouldn't just be about grand halls like this (Putrajaya International Convention Centre) or exorbitant landmarks, but should be filled with stalls that can be visited by everyone (instead of just the rich)," he said.

Anwar also boasted about his government's success in "ending" hardcore poverty, which he said was made possible by the support and commitment of his allies from the political blocs that were once rivals.

"We have wrestled with poverty for a long time. But this year I can say proudly we have put an end to hardcore poverty," the PKR president said.

A Merdeka Centre poll released earlier this week showed fewer voters are confident in the way Anwar's unity government is managing the country's economy.

The PKR president's approval rating dropped to 50 per cent compared to 64 per cent in the first few months he took office. Most of the respondents who gave a negative rating blamed their frustration on living costs.

The Merdeka Centre poll was released just days after Bank Negara Malaysia released data that showed a third subsequent gross domestic product growth for the July to September period, while core inflation moderated to the lowest rate since it peaked earlier this year, to 2.5 per cent.

Anwar delivered a policy speech in the second congress as prime minister tonight and after having fended off all potential threats to his premiership. Pakatan Harapan retained all three states they governed in local elections held in August and won a series of by-elections.