PERIKATAN Nasional’s promise to declare a public holiday if it wins the general election is an insult to voters, an analyst said.

Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub of Universiti Malaya was reported in the New Straits Times as saying that the pact’s election manifesto itself was “shallow and rebranded old promises”.

“What’s more disappointing is the promise to declare a public holiday if it wins GE15.

“This is akin to belittling voters, thinking they could be enticed into supporting PN (by such a petty incentive) when people could just take a day off from work,” he said in an interview with the daily.

Tawfik said the manifesto does not offer a economic recovery plan.

“The promises are old offers being rebranded to attract voters. It’s shallow.

“Promises to consider Employees Provident Fund withdrawals and a 25% discount for Higher Education Fund Corporation borrowers who graduate with a second-class degree are old news.”

The academic said PH should have focused on offering solutions to kitchen table issues rather than making “political promises” without clear strategies.

“The cost of living is rising and people are barely surviving. This should be the focus because people’s lives are much more important than any party’s political ambitions.

“I don’t see how any of the initiatives announced on Sunday could cushion the economic impact next year.

“If we want to ensure stability, we must be realistic in our promises, which means everything we are promising to the people, we must take into account the ability of our economy to survive the downturn in 2023.

“Our debt is over RM1 trillion. This is not the time to promise the stars and the moon because doing so will make things worse for the people and the government to manage the economy.”

PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin launched PN’s manifesto on Sunday. It contains 234 pledges, among which are discounts for first-time homebuyers, a sports and community centre in each district, and to empower young entrepreneurs in digital and future industries, such as financial technology, robotics and electric vehicles.

On the economy, Muhyiddin said PN has plans to effect a full economic recovery, including setting up a RM5 billion fund to encourage investment.

This is part of PN’s efforts to make Malaysia a hub for future industries in Southeast Asia.

To stimulate economic recovery, Muhyiddin said the coalition will continue to employ moratoriums to assist small and medium-sized enterprises.

In defence of the PN manifesto, coalition leader Radzi Jidin said in The Star the pact has studied the offers in the document and taken into account the interests of various segments of society in the short-, medium- and long-term.

“In every matter that was included in the manifesto, we take into account all aspects to ensure that what we say is doable,” said Radzi

He also said PN’s offers in the manifesto are achievable given the coalition’s experience in government.