THE people should not be duped into believing Pakatan Harapan’s promise to scrap the goods and services tax (GST) in its first 100 days in office, should the opposition win the 14th general election, an Umno leader said.

Umno Information chief Annuar Musa said PH’s election manifesto was no threat to Barisan Nasional because the ruling coalition was represented by “the largest Malay majority party in the country with a good track record”.

“We have to look at their promise (to scrap GST). Who are they? They depended on BN to become strong, but they have done nothing great since they left BN.

“But we have a good track record. Maybe BN gets criticised over one or two issues but we are sure that is as far as it goes.

“In the end, the people will still choose BN over PH which is dominated by DAP,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak also said BN had a good track record to show.

In an exclusive interview with The Malaysian Insight, Salleh said BN would remain the best choice for the people because it was consistent in its administration of the country and had a clear direction.

Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin declared yesterday that PH would do away with the GST if the opposition coalition took Putrajaya.

He said the move would lighten the burden of the people struggling to cope wth the high cost of living.

PH also pledged to form a royal commission of inquiry into the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.

PH will also start institutional reforms by limiting the service of the prime minister to two terms to prevent power abuse, and limit his power in appointing and terminating heads of national institutions.

Annuar, who is Ketereh MP, said it was a populist move by PH during a time when the opposition coalition should be focused on its internal troubles.

“It is not a question of scrapping the GST. The question is of PH solving the ideological and policy differences within,” he said.

He also challenged Bersatu to obtain the veto power to make decisions in PH when DAP held the most parliamentary seats among all the component parties.

Meanwhile, Umno supreme council member Ab Aziz Kaprawi asked Muhyiddin to explain what PH would do for revenue if it scrapped the GST.

He said the pledge confused the people as it was unrealistic.

“He should have his feet firmly on the ground. The GST is imposed in almost every country in the world, including Singapore.

“If he removes the GST, how will the government raise RM41 billion?” the deputy minister of transport said.

The GST generated RM41.2 billion for the government last year.

Last month, Prime Minister Najib Razak had mocked PH for wanting to scrap the GST when it did not know how else to get RM41 billion. He said PH was “spreading lies” with such a pledge.

Aziz also reminded Muhyiddin, who was deputy prime minister until his sacking in 2015, that he himself had agreed to the implementation of the GST when he was part of the government.

“He has forgotten that he, too, had agreed collectively to the GST during a government retreat attended by all the ministers, deputy ministers, high-ranking government officers and government-linked company heads,” he said. – September 10, 2017.