Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has hit back at PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, saying that his stand on subsidies has always been consistent.

In a hard-hitting statement on his blog today, Khairy said that as in 2008, he is for the "restructuring" of subsidies to ensure that assistance is only for the deserving and that the exercise does not widen the government deficit.

NONE "But (restructuring efforts) must be carefully prioritised, especially now when the rakyat is struggling with the basic cost of living and food price hikes of up to 11 percent.

Even if he had made an about turn, said Khairy ( right ), his present stand remains in favour of the rakyat and it should in fact be supported by Pakatan Rakyat.

"Does (Saifuddin) fear Umno Youth's role in giving voice to the rakyat?" he asked.

Baring his fangs, the Rembau MP said Saifuddin would have realised that he has always been consistent had he read his article in financial daily The Edge last week.

"But maybe he does not read such publications, which base their reports on facts and not fata morgana (a mirage)," he said snidely.

In a statement yesterday, Saifuddin, who is also Machang MP, accused Khairy of playing to the gallery in calling for a halt in subsidy cuts.

'A responsible government should cut subsidies'

Quoting the Dewan Rakyat Hansard, Saifuddin said Khairy had in 2008 had supported the massive slash of petrol subsidy mooted by the government then led by his father-in-law, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Khairy then had said that a responsible and efficient government should cut subsidies. The government, however, had to backtrack on the policy following widespread protests.

Responding on a personal level to Saifuddin, Khairy said the former has not exactly been so consistent himself.

"(Saifuddin) had at one point thuggishly and arrogantly led a bunch of youth to riot and stop a congress on the East Timor (now Timor Leste), when he was in Umno.

"But since joining PKR, he has turned 180 degrees on this issue and is now the hero of freedom of expression, pointing the finger instead at other participants of the congress," he said.