RON95 subsidy: Saddiq cautions Rafizi against using shock tactics

PARLIAMENT | The government should stop using tactics to shock the people with announcements of policies that are yet fully thought through, said Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

The former Muda president in his debate on the Supply Bill 2025 yesterday once again responded to Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli who countered his initial arguments based on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Budget 2025 speech last Friday.

“Rafizi criticised me yesterday (Monday), saying I was wrong because the government has not yet defined who the T15 are.

“This is the problem when we announce first and think later. This is an issue because the public has already heard the prime minister’s speech,” said Syed Saddiq (above).

“The people have already heard what they will lose (subsidies) - RM500 a month on petrol, the loss of education subsidies, healthcare subsidies. They are now afraid to go to clinics due to the very high costs,” he stressed.

During his budget speech last Friday, Anwar announced that the government would implement targeted RON95 subsidies from the middle of next year, though 85 percent of the population would not be affected by it.

After Rafizi reportedly said that the definition of the T15 group to be excluded from the subsidy was still being defined, Syed Saddiq questioned why the announcement was made before the details were ready.

Rafizi, however, pointed out that the budget proposal is a statement of the government’s intentions and plans for the coming year, so the figures presented are merely projections and estimates.

Earlier in the year, when the government removed blanket diesel subsidies, there was only 24 hours notice given.

Rafizi had said in June that a similar “surprise” tactic would be used for RON95 and that this was meant to discourage profiteering.

In the Dewan Rakyat, Syed Saddiq once again said the announcement with no clear guidelines has sparked public anxiety.

“The announcement has been made, but now, when pressured, they (government) say, ‘It’s okay, we’ll think about it, but people are already anxious.

“That’s why in Parliament, we need to argue to defend the people on this matter,” he added.

‘Where is Padu?’

Syed Saddiq also reminded Rafizi that RM85 million had been spent for the development of the Central Database Hub (Padu) but eventually a separate Budi Madani database was needed to disburse targeted subsidies such as the diesel cash aid.

“When implementing targeted diesel subsidy, the government did not follow (data) in Padu […] For diesel, they used classifications under Budi Madani.

“So now the people on the ground will use that same classification until the government presents a new alternative (definition),” he argued.

Rafizi previously defended the setting up of the Budi Madani database in addition to Padu, stating the former focuses on individual recipients while the latter measures household income.

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