PAKATAN Harapan will not be able to stop the wave of public discontent even with its recent announcements on tolls and varsity student aid, said a senior Umno leader.

Former Perlis menteri besar Shahidan Kassim said the people’s unhappiness with the government is due to persistent cost-of-living issues and unfulfilled election promises.

Racial and religious issues, too, contribute to the dissatisfaction, he said.

“In the current scenario, where the public wave (against the government) is big, whatever the government does will not resolve problems. If they want to resolve the people’s problems, it cannot just be by abolishing toll charges or giving RM100 to students.

“The government cannot resolve many of the people’s problems,” said the Arau MP after a programme with former prime minister Najib Razak in Semenyih, where a by-election is slated for March 2.

The polls will see a four-way fight between Barisan Nasional, which has fielded a candidate from its lynchpin Umno, Pakatan Harapan, Parti Sosialis Malaysia and an independent.

On Saturday, the government announced that it has started talks to take over four highways in the Klang Valley and reduce their toll charges.

Normal hours will see discounted rates of up to 30%, while off-peak hours – between 11pm and 5am – will be toll-free.

The highways are Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (LDP), Sistem Penyuraian Trafik KL Barat (Sprint), Lebuhraya Shah Alam (Kesas) and the SMART Tunnel.

Putrajaya separately announced that RM100 will be given to university students next month.

Umno leaders have slammed both announcements as attempts to fish for votes in Semenyih.

Shahidan said the announcements are not enough to counter the people’s rising discontent.

“If a big wave meets a smaller wave, then the smaller one gets eaten up. The big wave against PH was not created by BN, but by the people.” – February 25, 2019.