SEREMBAN: THE 2013 Budget and the many key touch points that addressed the wellbeing of the people are not a populist move by the Barisan Nasional government but a commitment by the ruling party to continue steering the nation towards prosperity and growth.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the opposition’s reaction to the Budget he tabled in Parliament on Friday was simply a case of the loose coalition flipping and turning defensive as it knew that it could never deliver on its promises.

BN, on the other hand, was realistic, with a more prudent and structured growth and development agenda.

Najib said this to thunderous applause at the Jelajah Janji Ditepati (JJD) carnival at the Paroi Youth and Sports Complex, here yesterday. The event was attended by more than 60,000 visitors, made up of a wide cross-section of the population. The site was bathed in a sea of orange and the colours of the JJD road show.

The prime minister took the time to hand out copies of the JJD booklet, which details all the government initiatives, and drew smiles when he spoke in the Negri Sembilan dialect.

Scores of government agencies had set up booths to showcase their 1Malaysia products and services. Visitors received first-hand information on the agencies’ roles in implementing the government’s transformation programmes.

Present at the event were the prime minister’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, other state leaders and  1Malaysia People's Housing Scheme (PR1MA) chairman Datuk Seri Jamaludin Jarjis.

Najib, who is also the finance minister, told the massive crowd that the government had implemented sound policies and projects to spur economic growth to the point where it was robust enough and could continue with the uptrend despite the global economic crisis affecting other nations.

He said the choice of the name of Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M 2.0), announced in the 2013 Budget, was to "hit out at the opposition for organising Bersih 2.0, which was totally not clean... whereas BR1M is given out to help the people".

Najib also said it was crucial for state governments to have a strong and solid relationship with the Federal Government to ensure smooth development.

Citing Selangor and its unresolved water issue as an example that should be avoided, Najib said other state governments, which had been cooperating well with the Federal Government, had enabled joint ventures to be carried out smoothly.

After his speech, Najib launched the PR1MA Seremban, which will be built at four strategic locations. This involves the construction of about 5,000 houses within a two-year period.

The houses would be sold to those eligible at 20 per cent cheaper than the market price.

To ensure connectivity for these housing projects and the surrounding areas, Najib also announced an allocation of RM158 million for the construction of the Lekas-Temiang highway which would benefit about 10,000 people.

Touching on the feedback on the Budget, Najib said he had received a steady stream of thanks from a cross-section of the population.