Stop creating fear within B40 group on GE15, Zahid tells critics

SHAH ALAM - Umno President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has criticised those trying to manipulate and create fear within the lower-income group over 15th general election (GE15), stating it is "inappropriate" to do so.

He said GE15 aims to return the rights and mandate to the people, including the B40 group in restoring political stability in the country.

"Political stability is very important to ensure the well-being of the people who are trying to recover from the impact of the pandemic.

"However, after GE14, the income gap between the poor and the rich in the country was reported to have widened in 2019 for the first time since 2014," he said in a statement.

He further said the terms and definitions of B40 and M40 household income classes were first introduced by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government, referring to the bottom 40 per cent and the middle 40 per cent of the Malaysian household income.

"This classification allows the government to plan and formulate policies and programmes efficiently and 'accurately' for the people.

"However, the definition of B40 and M40 is not 'rigid' and can be changed from time to time to meet current developments," he said.

Commenting further, the BN chairman said that the allegation by some quarters that the BN leadership does not care over the fate of B40 for proposing GE15 be held immediately was not true as BN has the "enthusiasm" to defend the rights of the people.

The enthusiasm, he said could be seen through gross monthly household income that had increased from 105 per cent or RM2,552 in 2007 to RM5,228 in 2016.