KUALA LUMPUR – PKR leaders have been using the first two days of the campaign period to defend party president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim against attacks from PN over the failure to reduce fuel prices in Malaysia as promised.
PN’s leaders and candidates have been reportedly using Anwar’s alleged failure to lower fuel prices as campaign material in their ceramah for the state election involving six states in the Peninsula.
During a PH-BN campaign talk at Selangor’s Sungai Tua seat, last night, PH candidate Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari and PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli both focused on countering these attacks, saying that Anwar’s promise was made in 2008 and is no longer applicable with the current financial state of the nation.
At the time, Anwar said, “If we win (the election today), we will cut fuel prices tomorrow”.
Rafizi said that at the time, the federal government could still afford to increase subsidies for petrol and diesel, but that is no longer the case now that the nation has a huge debt.
“Back then our debt did not reach RM600 billion; it was only one-third of the amount of debt we have now – RM1.5 trillion, which we have to pay,” he said.
The Pandan MP who is also Economy Minister said that the government is now subsidising RM1 per litre of RON95 petrol, which means that the people are only paying two-thirds (RM2.05/L) from the real price (RM3.10/L), and the government spends RM80 billion a year for subsidy on RON95, diesel and electricity supply.
“If we want a shortcut to solve this, it is easy. We just raise the subsidy and lower the fuel prices by RM0.20, and everyone will vote (for PH-BN). But this means that the teachers’ salaries will be cut, housing development for the poor will be stopped, and we cannot provide water supply in states like Sabah.
“So tell me, who is more responsible? We (opt to) struggle in the election and go through the trouble of explaining this to the people instead of taking the shortcut (increase fuel subsidy),” he stressed.
Rafizi also said Selangor PN chairman Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and PAS members have forgotten that they were once part of the opposition with PKR and DAP, and they had also promised to cut fuel prices then.
He said he is clarifying the matter so that the people, especially young voters, would not fall for PN’s lies.
“You (PN) can say whatever you want about Anwar, but compared to Muhyiddin (PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin), Anwar is far better,” he added. – July 31, 2023.