MELAKA, Oct 14 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today reiterated that the people’s mandate is the powerful antidote to restore political stability and to form a strong, stable and respected government in the country after the 15th General Election (GE15).

He said the mandate has been returned to the people with the dissolution of the 14th Parliament last Monday upon the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

"I’m confident that the Malaysian families in Melaka will use their rights to elect the government capable of restoring political stability, reviving and strengthening the economy, and maintaining harmony and unity,” he said when launching the Melaka edition of the Keluarga Malaysia Aspirations (AKM) Tour at the Melaka International Trade Centre in Ayer Keroh here today.

Also present were Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali, State Secretary Datuk Zaidi Johari and state executive councillors.

Despite facing extraordinary challenges, Ismail Sabri, in his speech, also shared the success stories recorded over the past year, thanks to the cooperation of Keluarga Malaysia and the government’s efficiency in governing the country.

He said during that period, Malaysia emerged as one of the countries in Southeast Asia with the best economic performance after recording a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 8.9 per cent in the second quarter of 2022 compared to 5.0 per cent in the first quarter of 2022.

"Looking at GDP in the second quarter, I’m confident that the country can achieve the GDP target of between 6.5 per cent and 7.0 per cent by end of this year,” he said.

He said Malaysia has also been recognised as the 18th most peaceful country in the world out of 163 countries and second in Asia based on the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2022.

On the allegation that Malaysia is no longer a preferred destination for foreign investment, Ismail Sabri said it was baseless as the foreign direct investment (FDI) in Malaysia registered a net inflow of RM47.4 billion in the first half of 2022.

"The government is constantly monitoring the effect of inflation on the price of essential items and it managed to curb the price hikes at the lowest level possible compared to regional countries,” he said.

The government also provided subsidies totalling RM77.7 billion, which is the largest amount in the country’s history, to ease the people’s burden.

Over the past year, the Prime Minister said the government also managed to bring the labour market to full employment level with the unemployment rate showing a decline to 3.7 per cent in July 2022 from 4.8 per cent in July 2021.

Meanwhile, he said Melaka will also benefit from the RM1 billion allocation set aside for the Keluarga Malaysia Hardcore Poverty Eradication (BMTKM) Programme under the 2023 Budget.

In fact, Ismail Sabri said the first phase of the BMKTM programme in Melaka will be implemented in two localities, namely in Jasin and Alor Gajah, which will involve 60 heads of households.

The tourism sector in Melaka will also be empowered through the Paya Lebar Ecotourism project with an allocation of RM2.3 million, the upgrading of Gadek Hot Spring (RM17.9 million) and the rehabilitation, restoration, renovation and upgrading of tourism facilities abandoned during the pandemic.

"To ensure the comfort and safety of motorists, the government has allocated RM22.3 million to maintain federal roads in Melaka,” he said.

In the education sector, Ismail Sabri said 56 new and ongoing projects are being implemented involving the construction of schools and other educational infrastructure with a total cost of RM788 million, while in the health sector, the Emergency and Trauma Department, as well as the Pediatric Dentistry Department of Melaka Hospital are currently being upgraded.

"The Health Clinic, as well as the staff quarters in Simpang Bekoh, Jasin, are now under construction with an allocation of RM63 million and are expected to be completed in 2023 and 2024,” he said.

For rural development, he said a total of RM442 million had been allocated for 38 development projects in rural areas for the sustainability, well-being and comfort of Malaysian families.

"As for the low-income group in Melaka, there is the affordable housing programme involving 12,876 houses which either completed or under construction as of August 2022.

"A total of RM929.8 million had also been approved for the Flood Mitigation Project and RM585 million for the off-river storage facility (TAPS) project to tackle the water shortage issues,” he added. — Bernama