Prime Minister Najib Razak said this was because BN was not just paying attention to the development of the current generation, but also to the efforts to ensure the survival and better future for the next generation.
“We are not just a party fighting for today, we are not just fighting for our generation, we are also fighting for our future generation.
“If you were to give your support, what kind of party would you give your support to? (Of course) we want a party with a clear agenda for the young generation.
“In this regard, I agree with (BN Youth chairman) Khairy Jamaluddin’s proposal that in our manifesto, we should have a specific chapter on the young people,” Najib said when opening the BN Youth and Puteri machineries gathering at the National Youth Skills Institute in Pagoh here today.
Also present were Johor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin, BN Youth chairman Khairy Jamaluddin, Puteri Umno vice-chief Zahida Zarik Khan and MyPPP president M Kayveas.
In front of over 10,000 BN Youth and Puteri members, Najib also made a pledge to think about other agendas deemed important for youths, such as knowledge and skills, income and job opportunities, as well as housing and lifestyle, to be included in the manifesto.
“For example, I have recently announced an increase in the allowance for participants in the 1Malaysia Training Scheme (SL1M) from RM1,500 to RM2,000. For what? For the young people to be convinced that BN is the party for them.
“For Puteri, we have given so much. If they give birth, the ADAM50 benefit awaits them, if they are pregnant, they can leave work one hour earlier, and so can the husband,” he said.
The prime minister said all these things were just a start as the government had more plans to provide various incentives and facilities for youths if given the mandate to continue running the country after GE14.
He said high-impact projects, such as the High Speed Rail (HSR), Light Rail Transit (LRT), Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and the Pan Borneo Highway, were not just being implemented for the benefit of the current generation, but also for the future generation, as the projects also involved having a young workforce at the implementation and management levels.
The BN chairman said the implementation of the projects also proved that the BN government, unlike the opposition, cared about the future of the country.
“A 93-year-old opposition leader, in his speech at the launch of the opposition’s manifesto (recently), said “we (opposition) don’t care about the future, we want now”.
“Let me tell you that that is not the message for youths. The message for all youths in the country is that BN is the party that supports the government of today and the future,” he said.
Najib, who is also Umno president, also called on the Umno Youth and Puteri machineries to be more aggressive and bold to go all out to ensure victory for BN in the GE14.
“The same goes with MCA, MIC, Gerakan and MyPPP… all in BN family,” he said.