KUALA LUMPUR: To help the youth achieve quality of life, Barisan Nasional has rolled out a slew of pledges covering housing, healthcare, reducing cost of living, tackling credit card debt and greater security and safety.
Housing remains a key thrust of the pledges. Apart from building more affordable housing, it will also increase the number of affordable rental homes, transit homes and improve rent-to-own schemes, on top of providing help with deposits. The establishment of a special bank to promote home-ownership will also make it easier to obtain housing loans for low cost / affordable homes costing RM300,000 and below.
To help them tackle cost of living, the youth will also be entitled to special monthly National Transformation 2050 (TN50) passes, which qualifies them for special rates of between RM50 to RM150 monthly, which grants them unlimited access to public transportation. The passes will also be students, working youth, senior citizens and the disabled.
Special student cards, meanwhile, will also help reduce cost when using government services and buying school or study supplies.
Another measure to tackle cost of living is manifested in the upcoming amendment of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act, which will enhance the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry’s powers to act against traders who rake in excessive profits.
Access to affordable, high-speed internet (1000Gbps) will be made available in stages in all public universities, with a 50 per cent discount on subscription rates. Connectivity will also be provided to all areas, with BN pledging to establish at least one internet centre in every state assembly constituency, with a minimum speed of 200Mbps.
e-Riadah, a portal and mobile application, will be rolled out to help the public book recreational and sports facilities, with discounts offered for the youth.
On healthcare, the MyKesihatan programme will enable those aged between 35 and 40 to undergo comprehensive health checks at all government clinics without any conditions.
Those with credit card debts will be given a helping hand, with BN pledging to reduce maximum interest rates and late charges.
Safety and security is also given focus, with the installation of more high-definition closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) in crime-prone areas. Security agencies will also be empowered with training and expertise to deal with cybercrime prevention.