As has been known since last year, the government is expected to begin the process of implementing targeted RON95 petrol subsidies, which it is hoped will ensure that these petrol subsidies will be able to benefit those who are supposed to receive these subsidies.
Recently, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil announced that the implementation of the targeted subsidy will be postponed for now to allow the government to examine its mechanism so that Malaysians are not burdened by the implementation.
This seems to have been requested by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim himself who said that he wanted any decision implemented regarding this targeted subsidy to help the people, and not burden them.
Fahmi Fadzil further said that several changes have already been made to the targeted subsidy process, and it is being refined further to ensure that the program is easier to understand.
He gave the example of the rationalization of diesel subsidy prices as one of the reasons why the targeted RON95 subsidy needs to be refined before it is introduced. There are few examples of what details of the subsidy need to be reviewed, but The Star report says one of them is the mechanism for granting the subsidy, which may be linked to the PADU program led by former Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli.
It is supposed to be used to help determine who is eligible for the targeted subsidy. It is currently unknown when the subsidy will be implemented.