KUALA LUMPUR: Subsidies should be a right and privilege exclusively enjoyed by Malaysians, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
When tabling the 2026 Budget, the Prime Minister said that blanket subsidies have long been misused, benefitting foreigners and large corporations.
"Thanks to the savings from diesel subsidy rationalisation, we've been able to ease the rakyat's burden through initiatives like Sara for all, which was launched in Aug," he said in his speech in parliament on Friday (Oct 10).
Anwar added that the broader Madani economy framework is fundamentally about the people.
It is also to ensure the government has the capacity to provide essential services, create jobs, generate income and to reduce the cost of living, said Anwar.
The overall subsidy rationalisation is expected to save the country around RM15.5bil annually, he said.
These savings mean more funds can be channelled towards rakyat-focused initiatives, enhancing social welfare, increasing allocations to ease the cost of living and investing in better-quality infrastructure that benefits all Malaysians, he explained.
More to come
