KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian income and salaries grew the most during the era of Datuk Seri Najib Razak, claims the Facebook page belonging to the former Prime Minister.
"The era of Najib Razak as Prime Minister saw some of the highest income and salary increases in the history of Malaysia, particularly benefiting the Bumiputera community and rural areas," read the post, which was uploaded this morning.
While the 70-year-old is currently serving time in Kajang prison. his virtual persona still makes regular social media posts, sometimes up to a few times a day.
"During this period (era of Najib administration) , many people enjoyed a sense of prosperity, leading numerous families to purchase more than one car, frequently upgrading to different brands, and indulging in frequent travel," the post claimed.
According to the page, data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) on the average household income reveals that from 1997 to 2009 (12 years, including the final 6 years of PM4):
All Citizens: Increased by RM1,419 from RM2,606 to RM4,025 (+54.5%)
Bumiputeras: Increased by RM1,536 from RM2,088 to RM3,624 (+73.6%)
Rural Areas: Increased by RM841 from RM1,704 to RM2,545 (+49.4%).
Meanwhile, from 2009 to 2019 (10 years, including 9 years under Najib's leadership), the following increases were recorded:
All Citizens: Increased by RM3,876 from RM4,025 to RM7,901 (+96.3%)
Bumiputeras: Increased by RM3,469 from RM3,624 to RM7,093 (+95.7%)
Rural Areas: Increased by RM2,459 from RM2,545 to RM5,004 (+96.6%)
The Facebook page also claimed data from the Central Bank of Malaysia (BNM) regarding wages in the manufacturing sector during the same period also reflects a similar trend.
"However, the rate of increase declined shortly after the 14th General Election (PRU14)"
