Subsidy cuts: it was Dr Mahathir, not DAP, says Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR – It was not DAP that pushed for slashing subsidies during the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration, as PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim suggested that the blame might lie with then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Anwar last night said the subsidy cuts targeted at farmers and fishermen had caused the Malay community to blame the decision on then finance minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

The subsidy cuts were not supported by Guan Eng, and when the matter was brought up to the prime minister, Dr Mahathir insisted that the subsidy mentality must go, he added.

“Dr Mahathir gave the same reply that we cannot go on with the subsidy mentality, as it will not bear good results and we disagreed strongly.”

“I had explained that ignoring the matter could be detrimental to PH, as the coalition could end up losing political support.

“I told Dr Mahathir that the general public does not deliberate political and economic matters based on ideals or manifestos, but focus on bread and butter issues,” he said during his speech yesterday celebrating DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang’s retirement.

Anwar said during the PH administration, he held meetings with Guan Eng over the subsidy issue, and it was agreed that he would question the Bagan MP in Parliament over the possibility of returning subsidies back to poor Malays.

“When you go to the fishing village, they will compare what is being given to the amount they received under the previous regime.

“If we don’t address this, it will haunt us, and the blame goes entirely to Guan Eng, a Chinese finance minister from DAP, who deliberately reduced financial support for rural Malays.”

In 2019, when the PH administration tabled the annual federal budget in Parliament, Anwar raised the matter concerning subsidies with Guan Eng.

During his parliamentary speech, Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat that protecting political rights alone is not enough to empower the people and that the government should also ensure their economic rights are upheld as well. – The Vibes, April 2, 2022