KOTA KINABALU: Using idle federal land for cash crops can help reduce pressure on food imports and prices, says Parti Warisan.Its president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the government could provide loans and opportunities to develop this land.
He said the country needs to carry out reforms through better policies and strategies that will ensure Malaysia’s economic recovery and sustainability in facing local and global challenges.
He said that creating industries and businesses with taxpayers’ money can help generate wealth and purchasing power to boost the country’s economy.
Shafie said spending RM77.3bil for subsidies, as reported by Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz recently, with the bulk of it going to energy subsidies benefiting the higher income group, was unwise and wasteful.
“The subsidies are higher than the entire national development expenditure of RM76.6bil for 2020. So where do we get the money for this?” Shafie asked.
He said last month, the government paid RM7.5bil for the 1MDB debt, and another RM7.5bil was due at the end of the year.
Shafie said that with subsidies, Malaysia would fork out RM92bil.
Shafie said in comparison, the nation was only spending 10% of that on development expenditures for health and education.
“What would happen if subsidies run out, how will the government finance the subsidies and what impact will they have on government debt and deficit,” he said.
He proposed the subsidies be re-allocated and revamped to target deserving households.
Shafie said as the government revamped the subsidies, they must also improve the public transport, especially in the rural areas.
