PUTRAJAYA is not pulling the plug on subsidies but instead increasing their value to help ease the burden of folk affected by the current price hikes, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa.

He said the government is always concerned about the rising cost of living plaguing the people, to which it has channelled RM43 billion worth of subsidies.

His comment comes on the heels of a TikTok clip that claims Putrajaya will withdraw all subsidies on July 31, resulting in panic buying.

“As the minister in charge of communications, I vehemently deny the claim that there is a move to stop all subsidies on July 31. This is slander and completely untrue,” he told a media conference today.

“The government has made a firm decision regarding the policy to assist the people by providing subsidies, and this will remain.

“In fact, it has decided to increase the subsidies’ value and review previous subsidies so the implementation will be more effective.”

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday announced that the government will maintain the RM4 billion subsidy for 1kg packet cooking oil.

Annuar said although people are free to use social media platforms to spread information and views, they should use them responsibly and not spread fake news that is harmful to the people.

He added that the public should be aware that spreading fake news is an offence and action can be taken against those found breaching the law. – Bernama, June 23, 2022.