Dr M: Past PMs didn’t rationalise subsidies due to concern, not fear

Previous prime ministers did not rationalise the government’s diesel subsidies due to concern for the poor, not due to fear of backlash, said former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He accused Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of not fulfilling his promise to lower fuel prices if given the mandate to govern the federal government.

“We still remember when he said that if he became the government, he would reduce oil prices. But today, he has increased the price of diesel by RM1.20, a hike of more than 50 percent.

“If it goes up by 10 sen or 20 sen, that’s fine. But a 50 percent increase will burden the people.

“The previous prime ministers were not afraid to end the subsidy but were concerned about the people,” he said at a press conference at the Perdana Foundation in Putrajaya, today.

Mahathir was responding to Anwar’s speech yesterday, where the Pakatan Harapan chairperson said all past prime ministers have agreed on the need to implement subsidy rationalisation.

Anwar said the issue had been discussed since the 1990s when he was the finance minister.

However, he added, no prime minister before him was willing to implement such a measure because it was an unpopular decision.

He said politicians took the easy way by maintaining subsidies even though there were leakages, just to secure votes.

However, Anwar said he is confident that the decision to abolish broad-based subsidies will help improve the country’s financial status.

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