Weaning off subsidy mentality

FOR long, the Government has had to face forking out costly sums for subsidy schemes to support domestic consumers. But that era, it appears, is gradually coming to an end.

Subsidies have become a major part of Malaysian lives, whether we realise it or not. The Government hands out various forms of subsidies, including that for fuel, electricity and food such as sugar and rice, to keep the retail prices of those goods and services either below cost or their fair market values, to help the public at large.