KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said subsidy rationalisation announced in the Budget 2024 was never meant to burden the people.

Instead, he said it was to ensure that the government does not waste people’s money by pleasing the wealthy.

"I am not anti-super-rich, but we must be fair to the vulnerable and the needy,” he said in a post on Facebook today.

In his speech at the Symposium on The Path Towards Greater Prosperity for Malaysia in Putrajaya earlier today, the prime minister also touched on the government’s priorities and responsibilities to ensure that there are no unnecessary leakages, absconding of public wealth and corruption before considering the necessity of taxation.

"Therefore, losses amounting to tens of billions of ringgit that have been borne by the government for decades should be recovered so that they can be invested for the well-being of the people,” he said.

Apart from that, Anwar said it is vital for the government to improve issues of governance so that Malaysia becomes prosperous and fair to all.

When tabling the Malaysia Madani Budget 2024 last Friday, Anwar announced that the move to rationalise subsidies will be implemented in stages beginning next year.

He said the savings from the subsidies will be partly channelled to increase the allocation for Rahmah Cash Aid from RM8 billion to RM10 billion. — Bernama