Putrajaya has to compromise, Nanta says on BUDI Diesel adjustments

Putrajaya has to compromise between economic management and easing the burden on the public when reviewing subsidy policies, says works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi.

Backing the latest adjustments to the BUDI Diesel eligibility transfers, Nanta said economic considerations could not be viewed in isolation when policy measures placed additional pressure on the people.

“Sometimes, even though we think from an economic perspective, reducing subsidies to manage the economy can be quite painful,” Dayak Daily quoted him as saying after the handover of the retendered Customs Enforcement Office’s Seizure Storage construction project at the Kuching Marine Office in Jalan Bako, Muara Tebas.

“We must take into account the people’s calls. To reduce their burden, we have to make a choice, to compromise.”

Nanta welcomed any refinement that would provide financial relief, reiterating that the core purpose of government subsidies was to assist the public.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on Malaysia Day that BUDI Diesel recipients could transfer their eligibility to any Malaysian currently benefiting from the BUDI95 scheme.

Eligibility transfers were previously limited to immediate family members.

The move followed an increase in the BUDI Diesel monthly quota from 300 to 400 litres announced on Aug 31, after pickup and jeep owners in Sabah and Sarawak continued to raise concerns, according to Anwar.