A promise kept
BN staying committed to a policy of wealth redistribution
SOME three years ago, the redevelopment of Perumahan Awam (PA) Razak Mansion began on the promise of greater comfort for low-income residents. Yesterday, that promise was delivered when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak handed over keys to the new apartments. No longer will they be living in low-cost flats of some 500 sq ft or less, instead their new homes will be about double that. Where once the flats were with either one or two bedrooms with a single bathroom, the apartments now have two or three bedrooms and two bathrooms, with enough living area for a family. For owneroccupiers of the PA Razak Mansion, it is a matter of moving into comfort without spending a single sen, rather the government will subsidise the move with a RM3,000 grant. Kuala Lumpur City Hall public housing tenants, meanwhile, are offered these apartments valued at over a quarter of a million ringgit for a mere RM42,000, and all conveyancing costs are covered by the government.
1Razak Mansion is located just behind PA Razak Mansion, meaning the residents retain the advantage of living in Kuala Lumpur with all its attendant facilities, such as the ready availability of public transport. It will have all the same amenities and more. The multiracial nature of the 1Razak Mansion community, one transplanted from the old Razak Mansion that has long flourished, will be a showpiece, an example of muhibah, testifying to the very real integration dreamt by the nation’s founding fathers, one of whom is the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, the prime minister’s father. It was officially opened for occupation in 1967. By all accounts, after half a century, the community has matured and multi-ethnic unity is a reality.
This very continuity of aspiration and achievement epitomises the success that is Malaysia, welding together ethnic groups to live side-by-side and shoulder-to-shoulder in a harmonious environment of comparative prosperity. Where other nations have disintegrated from ethnic conflicts, Malaysia has progressively integrated, firstly, between its three constituent territories and, secondly, within the peninsula. In short, living cheek by jowl, as in Razak Mansion, is proof that the Malaysian nation is thriving.
As the country approaches the 14th General Election, might it not be appropriate for the political parties to reflect this reality? Politically, appealing to Malaysians generally would be a refreshing change. It is time policy delivery defines politics given that there are states ruled by the opposition. Today, as never before, Malaysians can compare apples to apples. Is Selangor, under the opposition, making waves? Or is it stagnating under such inane policies as “no plastic bags”, more an inconvenience than an environmental crusade because plastics are today biodegradable? What has Penang delivered to the people under DAP? A minimum wage to be envied by other Malaysians? 1Razak Mansion is exemplary. Not only is it a social engineering feat, it is, too, a political economic expression of successful wealth redistribution exercise.
1Razak Mansion is located just behind PA Razak Mansion, meaning the residents retain the advantage of living in Kuala Lumpur with all its attendant facilities, such as the ready availability of public transport. It will have all the same amenities and more.