KOTA BHARU, April 24 — Kelantan PAS may have to raise the taxes in the state if it wants to execute every promise in the manifesto it launched yesterday, Kelantan Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said.
Mustapa said the tax rates had to be raised to cover the promises due to the poor financial standing of the state.
“In addition, it is likely that most of these promises will not be fulfilled, which means the people of Kelantan will continue to be cheated,” he said in a statement here today.
Yesterday, Kelantan PAS launched a manifesto for the state, which among others offers to uphold the Islamic religion by empowering the Shariah legislation, Islamic development in urban areas, empowering the ‘pondok’ religious school institution, raising the allowance for imam and bilal and strengthening the Islamic tourism sector.
Commenting further, Mustapa, who is also Kelantan Umno Liaison Committee chairman, said the Kelantan PAS manifesto highlighted the party’s inability to bring Kelantan to face today’s and future challenges.
“Firstly, PAS Kelantan is silent on key issues that the people often raise such as logging and taxation that are burdensome. They accuse the GST of being burdensome but quietly, prior to this, raised tax rates and land premiums among others. This is a hypocrisy and the unpreparedness of the PAS Government to address the people’s complaints.
“Secondly, PAS Kelantan failed to offer a clear economic plan to drive Kelantan, especially for the next five years and subsequent years. The two main aspects that need to be addressed to change the state’s economic landscape in the long run are private sector involvement and investment, but these are not taken into account by them,” he said.
He said PAS also recycled the old promises such as new urban planning while earlier promises like Bandar Baharu Dabong and Pulai Chondong remained promises which were still fresh in the minds of the people of Kelantan.
“The Kelantan PAS Manifesto does not address the Orang Asli community issues as well as the minorities at all. Is PAS Kelantan really sincere in championing the interests of all parties?
“I believe the people of Kelantan can evaluate the manifesto offered by PAS objectively. It is far different from the BN manifesto which chooses to tackle the main problems that shackle the people of Kelantan immediately and offer solutions for short and long term challenges,” he said. — Bernama
