Ahead of polls, Najib’s last card is the budget

Ahead of polls, Najib’s last card is the budget
With less than two years is Barisan Nasional (BN) the mission left, hopes for an opportune time for Federal Najib Razak Datuk Seri polls slim as dissent grows and the economy remains sour.
Politicians on both sides of the trench told The Malaysian Insider, struggling with a cash-strapped treasury to keep subsidies in the face of rising inflation, the prime minister should be an election budget at the end of the year known and dissolve parliament soon after.

Analysts also believe that while increased racial rhetoric has recovered some Malay support for the ruling coalition, it is a zero-sum game, which is the provision of centrist voters Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

"We should have a good budget first. Not doing Abdullah Badawi on such a budget and called it a choice," said Minister in the Prime Ministers Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, based on the former prime minister who was forced to resign a year after BN recorded its worst ever election in 2008.

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali agreed, pointing to the economy was still behind Putrajaya six percent growth target, only the consumption 4.6 percent GDP growth in Q1 and is expected to remain below five percent by June 2011.

"In two years, things can not get much better. But the question with the government is already nearly out of cash, which can promise, in the next budget BN" the Gombak MP told The Malaysian Insider.

Khoo Kay Peng, the political analyst went further and said: "Things are worse for Najib."

"There is no point in waiting. The economy is getting tougher in 2012 and now there is no logical government to grow as people (Malay Rights Group) and Utusan Malaysia Perkasa. It shows that UMNO ultras are for a bigger slice of the pie to ask . Najib loses the middle, "he said.

Pulai MP Datuk Only Jazlan Mohamed said this was because of the ease of the questions could be politicized with Post-Election 2008th

"It does not matter what is the timing. Whenever there is the opposition to play only an issue for votes. Najib should just make the party machinery is ready, because from now will not change much until 2013," the UMNO division head said.

Najib, Abdullah succeeded in April of 2009, to require an improved performance in the next general elections, and everything just before recovery of the coalition government to the usual two-thirds of the Parliament, its influence will bring to the office of prime minister at risk.

But inflation has severely bags, was forced by the consumer price index reached a two-year high of three percent in March and continue to rise by 3.5 percent last month after Najib administration, made cut subsidies for fuel, electricity and sugar.

This was coupled with an economy that has recorded four consecutive quarters of slowing growth, to 4.6 percent in the first quarter of this year, up 10.1 percent over the same period in 2010.

Former MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said the prime minister still believes that its economic transformation and state packets to kick in until 2013 and again the economy.

"But it is true that the global uncertainty, there is no crystal ball. It could be better, but they could also get worse," said the Pandan MP.(themalaysianinsider.com)