HOW well Prime Minister Najib Razak addresses the rising cost of living and other bread-and-butter issues affecting most of the electorate will be crucial in determining his chances of victory in the 14th General Election, which must be called in less than a year, reported Bloomberg.

While Barisan Nasional secured strong wins in state races last year and has benefited from opposition infighting, the rising cost of living could now chip away at Najib’s support.

In Kuala Lumpur, the nation’s most economically unequal region, those classified as “poor” and “very poor” are seeing their low wages – as low as RM460 a month for some – being further stretched by the rising cost of goods.

Mohd Ezam Mohd Said, 55, makes two trips on his motorcycle to send his three children to school each morning, and another two trips at noon to pick them up.

“I can’t afford a car. I can’t even afford to eat chicken more than once a week,” the ‘pisang goreng’ seller said at his stall in Kuala Lumpur, where he earns RM20 a day.

Despite the government having spent RM1.9 billion on low-income households since 2010 and narrowing the income gap between urban and rural households, there remains strong resentment among Malaysians against the goods and services tax (GST), which was introduced two years ago and has been blamed by many for the skyrocketing prices of consumer products and services.

Siti, who sells coconut water, said the money she earned daily was never enough, but she managed to keep herself afloat.

With nine people living in her flat, which is rented from the government, she sleeps on the floor with her grandchildren.

“I’m grateful to be able to survive.

“It hasn’t come to the point where I need to knock on my neighbour’s house for money.”

Najib, who is aware that the majority of voters are from the working class and have been most affected by the rising cost of living, was already increasing handouts to the poor, and the budget in October may contain more funds allocated for them, said Bloomberg.

Such strategies had worked for the Umno-led BN coalition in the past, said Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs chief executive officer Wan Saiful Wan Jan.

“Many people who are dependent on government allocation either feel grateful to BN or fearful of losing the handouts if they make a change in the administration,” he was quoted as saying.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan had said the government aimed to ensure no one was left behind as Malaysia’s wealth grew.

This was done through education, jobs and “universal access to basic needs”, he said recently.

But, not everyone feels that the government is doing all it can.

Taxi driver Isa Ismail, 61, said he and his friends would not support Najib again.

He said he had seen his earnings drop by 70% as ride-hailing companies offered cheaper fares.

Working 10-hour days, he takes home about RM70 daily.

“Barisan Nasional is not walking the talk.

“I think the opposition will do a better job of taking care of us.”

The Pakatan Harapan opposition coalition was compiling a manifesto on bread-and-butter issues, said Pandan member of parliament Rafizi Ramli.

Rafizi, who is also PKR vice-president, said the promises would likely be similar to those made in the last general election, as well as promises to replace GST with a more progressive tax system and resuming subsidies.

Another taxi driver, Kamzailan Kamal, said the problem was not with BN itself, but the “people at the top”.

“We need to change the government. Bring down Najib,” said the 53-year-old, who sleeps during the week in the taxi he drives 12 hours a day around the capital.

“Mark my words, in the 14th General Election, we taxi drivers are not going to support BN.” – August 7, 2017.