PM: If flip-flop decisions will help rakyat, I am willing

PARLIAMENT | The government has been accused of “flip-flopping” over the chicken and egg subsidies as well as the Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships for students pursuing medicine, dentistry and pharmacy.

Responding to this, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that even if flip-flopping was involved in those decisions, he would be willing to do so as long as it benefited the rakyat.

However, he stressed that the previous decisions to end the chicken and egg subsidies by the end of June and to stop the PSD scholarships were made under the former administration.

“The announcements of those decisions were not a flip-flop, (they were based on) old decisions so we announced it in line with the process.

“But when it was informed to me, I reviewed it and saw it would burden the rakyat, as the Hari Raya Haji is near, so we help the rakyat.

“Even if there was a flip-flop to help the rakyat, I would flip-flop. What is the point of not flip-flopping when it burdens the rakyat?” Anwar said during the Prime Minister Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to Zulkafperi Hanapi (PN-Tanjong Karang) who said the government’s U-turns on these decisions would damage the people’s confidence in the current government.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said these two were not the first decisions from the previous Perikatan Nasional (PN) cabinet that he had reversed.

For example, he said, the PN government had increased electricity costs for the people which he later decided to change.

While several PN lawmakers stood up to say he was wrong about this, Anwar insisted there was a record in Parliament that the former government had made this announcement.

On June 9, Putrajaya announced it will continue subsidising chicken and egg production past June.

Previously, it was reported that the chicken and egg subsidies will end on June 30.

Meanwhile, Anwar also said PSD will continue to offer scholarships for students pursuing medicine, dentistry and pharmacy, despite an earlier announcement from PSD that this would be stopped.

It was reported that PSD made the decision to stop the sponsorship due to a study in 2019 which projected an oversupply of medical officers from 2026 to 2030.

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