KUALA LUMPUR – Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli (Pandan-PH) has highlighted the unity government’s achievements from when its cabinet was formed two weeks ago to dispute allegations that the new administration had only politicised issues.
Rafizi pointed out to the Dewan Rakyat that last Friday (December 16), the Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change Ministry announced that Putrajaya will shoulder subsidies worth RM10.76 billion to avoid slapping consumers with an increased electricity tariff surcharge.
“Under the ministry’s move, 90% of businesses and 80% of households will not be affected by the increased electricity surcharge.
“(This is despite) the previous government, which included Perikatan Nasional (PN), being the one to discuss and decide on matters (relating to the increased electricity tariff surcharge).
“The recommendation they (previous government) discussed then was to raise the electricity tariff surcharge for all because they did not want to bear the burden of RM14 billion in subsidies,” he said.
He added that the current government had inherited from the previous administration a finance system in “bad shape,” causing them to reverse some of the decisions made.
Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad had earlier announced that medium- and high-voltage industrial users as well as multinational corporations will be the only ones slapped with a electricity tariff surcharge at 20 sen per kilowatt an hour starting January 1.
Rafizi, who spoke during the MPs’ debate on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s (Tambun-PH) confidence motion, was responding to Datuk Radzi Jidin (Putrajaya-PN) who asked what the unity government has done for the people since its ministers were sworn in on December 3.
“The unity government has only dramatised certain issues. The people do not want to hear about such matters. (Rafizi) should remember that he is not the opposition anymore,” Radzi claimed.
The “dramatised” issues Radzi mentioned include the RM600 billion allegedly misappropriated by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s (Pagoh-PN) government, gambling proceeds supposedly being used to finance PN’s election campaign, and Anwar’s refusal to use a Mercedes S600.
In response, Rafizi took a dig at PN by revealing that the first state to reach out to Anwar, who is also finance minister, was Perlis, which is governed by PN.
“The first representative from a state government to come see (Anwar) and ask for commitment to channel federal funds to their state was not from Pakatan Harapan (PH) or Barisan Nasional (BN), but PN,” Rafizi said. – The Vibes, December 19, 2022
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