KUALA LUMPUR — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today announced six immediate measures aimed at easing the people’s cost-of-living pressures, with the initiatives covering fuel subsidies, school maintenance, artificial intelligence (AI), healthcare digitalisation, e-Invoicing and microfinancing.
The measures will take effect from Sept 1 and are part of the government’s efforts to respond to concerns over rising living costs and the pressures faced by households, Bernama reported.
“Although various measures have been implemented, I, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Cabinet have never assumed that we have solved all the problems, and this is not a curtain to conceal the people’s concerns. I understand that the people are still struggling with the cost of living.
“Therefore, on the eve of National Day, I have had to make efforts, seek solutions and take steps to announce something that can provide temporary relief… for schoolchildren, youths, housewives and mothers,” Anwar said when delivering the 2026 National Day Prime Minister’s Address at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) here.
Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil, Cabinet ministers and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
Under the first measure, Anwar said the government had agreed to restore the basic monthly eligibility under the Budi MADANI RON95 (BUDI95) programme from 200 litres to 300 litres.
The move will enable more than 16 million users to continue benefiting from subsidised RON95 petrol.
More than 500,000 eligible owners of diesel-powered pickup trucks and four-wheel-drive vehicles will also be able to receive up to 400 litres of Budi Diesel a month.
For schools, Anwar said the allocation for maintenance works in 2027 would be increased by 50 per cent, from RM1 billion to RM1.5 billion.
The higher allocation will cover all school streams, including national schools, Chinese and Tamil national-type schools, religious schools, tahfiz and pondok institutions, as well as special education facilities.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said he had instructed the Education Ministry to step up efforts at district level to assess applications for infrastructure repairs, allowing maintenance works to begin as early as January 2027.
The third initiative is the AI for the People programme, which will be open to Malaysians aged between 18 and 30.
Under the programme, 100,000 youths who complete the prescribed modules will receive three-month free subscriptions to selected AI applications, including IlmuChat, Gemini Enterprise, Wonderclip and MuleRun.
The fourth measure will see the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) provide RM1 billion to improve digital efficiency across the public healthcare sector.
The funding will support the implementation of the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system and improve internet connectivity at 150 hospitals and more than 2,000 public health clinics.
Anwar also announced changes to the e-Invoicing threshold.
“The government has also agreed to raise the e-Invoice exemption threshold from RM1 million to RM3 million annually, thereby exempting businesses with annual sales not exceeding RM3 million from the obligation to implement it,” he said.
Meanwhile, microfinancing facilities will be increased by RM1 billion, raising total funding for 2026 from RM5 billion to RM6 billion.
The government will also establish the RM200 million Geran Sejahtera MADANI to support hawkers, small traders, night market traders and mothers operating businesses from home.
“This is the spirit of our unity. Hopefully, all six measures can be implemented because they stem from one clear principle, namely that economic growth must be returned to the people,” Anwar said.
In a Facebook post later, Anwar said further announcements would be made during the Malaysia Day celebrations in Sarawak and through the tabling of Budget 2027.
“Hopefully, these measures will, to some extent, ease the burden on the people and give real meaning to this year’s National Day celebrations,” he said.
Anwar said he and the entire MADANI Government team would continue listening to the people’s concerns and working to ensure the country’s economic achievements translated into greater benefits, as well as a more prosperous and dignified life for Malaysians.