Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the subsidies would continue to focus on the B40 group, Bernama reported.

“For example, fuel… we provide subsidies for poor motorcyclists (and also) rich folk in Mercedes.

“We will find ways (where) we don’t burden the poor, (while) the rich with an income of RM50,000, RM100,000 a month, will have to pay up… that will be our policy,” he said in his speech at a gathering with mosque and surau committee members from the Tambun parliamentary constituency at the Perak Islamic Administration Institute (Intim) here.

Anwar, who is also Tambun MP, earlier performed the asar prayer with congregants at Intim’s Sultan Azlan Shah mosque.

The prime minister also defended the decision to impose actual electricity tariff charges on consumers who used excessive electricity, which he said would not affect 80% of users.

“But if it (tariff) is not increased at all, it remains a problem as the amount of subsidy is too high… if it costs RM10, the government bears RM5.

“So we have taken the decision not to burden the B40, M40 (which comes up to) 80% (of consumers). We are charging only the T20, and that too, only the costs, without any profits to the government,” Anwar said.

Meanwhile, Anwar said as Tambun MP, he would increase allocations for mosques and suraus in the constituency for their activities.

“As for applications to expand mosques and suraus, I think it’s best to submit the applications to the district office and let them coordinate before they are forwarded to the parliamentary office,” he said.