BAGAN DATUK, Nov 19 – The Ministry of Finance is looking into the possibility of raising fuel subsidies to ensure that fuel prices do not continue to increase in the market. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the matter would be brought to the National Economic Council meeting tomorrow for further discussions.
“We are studying it (raising subsidies),” he told reporters after launching the National Blue Ocean Strategy Fiesta in Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Hutan Melintang, here today. The one-day programme was organised by the National Strategy Unit of the Finance Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
Ahmad Zahid was responding to a question about the government’s efforts to ensure fuel prices in the market did not continue to rise. At present, the price of RON 95 petrol per litre is RM2.38 while RON 97 and diesel are RM2.66 and RM2.25 respectively.
Meanwhile Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, in his speech, urged the people not to believe claims by certain parties that the country would go bankrupt. He said if the country was going to be bankrupt, the government would not afford to table the 2018 Budget with an allocation of RM280.25 billion.
The rumours were also unfounded as the gross domestic product for the third quarter of this year recorded a growth of 6.2% as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak on Friday, proving that Malaysia was expanding rapidly in the region, he added. — Bernama
