PADANG TERAP, March 26 — The people will no longer be able to enjoy government aid if the Opposition takes over the administration of the country, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today.

He said the World Bank recently questioned the Opposition’s ability to govern effectively if they planned to abolish the goods and services tax (GST) as declared in their manifesto.

“The World Bank is saying that if the GST is abolished, there will be a RM20-billion deficit in the accounts. This was not mentioned in the manifesto because they (the Opposition) are trying to confuse the people by refraining from stating these shortcomings,” he said during a meeting with the Siamese community in Kampung Chanding here.

According to him, without this fact being mentioned the implication was that government assistance such as the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M), the special grants to farmers and fishermen and so on would be removed by the Opposition.

“If there is still not enough (to cover the deficit), they will probably increase personal income tax by four to five per cent,” he said.

According to Najib, the World Bank was among the international bodies which had given recognition and confidence on the future of Malaysia should the current government continue to rule.

He said other bodies such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the World Economic Forum (WEF), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and several international banks also expressed their confidence in the current government’s ability to implement transformation in the country.

“World-class international rating agencies have stated convincing recognition of Malaysia and our future because of our ability to implement changes,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said, the government’s efforts to include minority groups like the Siamese community into the mainstream of national development would be continued to improve their social mobility.

He said that apart from managing to have several students record excellent results in public examinations such as the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia, the government would offer more opportunities for them to pursue their studies at public institutions of higher learning.

“This is in line with our inclusive government policy to protect the minority communities in the country while allowing them the freedom to practise their religion and use their language,” he said. — Bernama