PUTRAJAYA (July 21): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said a special gesture of appreciation for the people is expected to be announced tomorrow or Wednesday.
He said more time is needed to finalise the announcement following the Unity Government retreat in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan yesterday.
“The retreat focused on explaining government policies while also listening to public concerns, which led me to consider certain changes and announcements to help ease these issues.
“I mentioned that I would make an announcement within a day or two (whether in the form of additional measures or otherwise) but it requires some careful review,” he said at the Prime Minister’s Department monthly assembly here today.
On July 19 in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, Anwar had hinted that that the extraordinary appreciation to be announced would involve government measures to address the rising cost of living.
Anwar acknowledged that although policies are carefully planned at the federal level, there is often a perceived disconnect between policy implementation and the reality experienced by the people.
“When we plan, we believe we’ve done our best. But sometimes, the views at the grassroots level differ. There seems to be a disconnect, partly due to political spin, partly due to misinformation — but some concerns are genuine and must be taken seriously,” he said.
At the same time, Anwar rejected claims that the people are burdened by the Sales and Services Tax (SST) and base electricity tariffs, describing the “tariff hike, tax hike” narrative as a distortion of facts that does not reflect the actual situation.
“I ask, are you representing the people or the business tycoons? Some large industries may be affected, but 85 per cent of the public are exempt from the increase,” he said.
Anwar said the revised tariffs introduced by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) target only high-profit industries, with no impact on domestic users.
He added that the new electricity tariff structure has not resulted in a general increase in electricity costs. On the contrary, it has led to a 19 per cent reduction for the majority of users.
“There are also additional reductions for consumption during non-peak hours. But the key point is, once implemented, this is the fact — there was no increase.
“Overall, electricity costs fell by 19 per cent, from 55.95 sen (Rp3) to 45.40 sen (Rp4). So, if you compare your latest bill to the previous month’s, it is lower,” he said.
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