KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's announcement on targeted subsidy for diesel last night has "softened the ground" for the people to be ready for its implementation.
Former minister Khairy Jamaluddin said although this was a system that had been thought of by previous administrations, the Madani government now had the political will and the timing to implement it.
"We see that the cabinet has thought about this deeply, they have softened the ground and have provided a soft landing (to the implementation of the targeted subsidy for diesel).
"On the principles of targeted subsidy, I agree and we've been asking for this to be done. And if I was the opposition responding to Anwar's speech, I cannot take a dishonest approach to our original stance.
"If I were in Perikatan Nasional's (PN) shoes, I would ask for the government to ensure the ease of the additional payment process for Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR)," said the former Rembau member of Parliament.
Khairy said this in his Keluar Sekejap podcast released today, co-hosted by former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan.
Last night, Anwar announced that the cabinet had agreed to implement targeted subsidies on fuel starting with diesel, which was projected to save the country RM4 billion annually.
In his special address, he said the targeted fuel subsidies would start with diesel and only applied to users in Peninsular Malaysia and not those in Sabah and Sarawak.
The government would continue providing subsidies to traders who utilise diesel-based commercial vehicles to mitigate sudden increases in the prices of goods and services.
"The government has agreed to provide cash assistance to individuals owning eligible diesel vehicles, including small farmers, rice farmers, and small traders. This cash assistance will not benefit the T20 group." he added.
Meanwhile, Shahril said the opposition needed to come up with an alternative leader that had the same calibre as Anwar.
"The opposition needs to see, that this is the Madani leader, we can see his prime ministerial image when giving his address.
"PN does not have an equivalent alternative, they have not shown or displayed any figure capable of speaking like this.
"Even though his (Anwar's) contents are basically the same thing, but this is the image that they (PN) must think about," he added.