KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Saturday unveiled a people-centric Barisan Nasional manifesto focusing on an action plan to raise the quality of life of all Malaysians in the next five years.

Unlike previous manifestos which provided a broad overview of the coalition’s policies, the new manifesto themed “A Promise of Hope” offers focused, compelling and concrete pledges that will also spur the country’s economic growth.

Over the next five years, Barisan will, among others raise the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) payment from RM500 to RM1,200 for households and RM600 for singles which will be maintained on an annual basis and to build 1 million units of affordable homes.

Other highlights include the construction of a 2,300km Pan Borneo highway stretching from Sematan near Lundu located at the western most tip of Sarawak to Serudong near Tawau in the east coast of Sabah.

To ensure continuous strong economic growth, the manifesto has outlined detailed plans to attract RM1.3 trillion worth of investments and to create 3.3 million new jobs over the next five years.

– THE STAR