Subsidies will not bankrupt country — Ismail Sabri

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KUCHING: The various subsidies on items like petrol and selected household items under the 1Malaysia concept will not drag the country into bankruptcy despite the billions of ringgit involved.

Domestic Trade, Consumerism and Cooperatives (KPDNKK) Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said this when explaining that the measure was taken to help people from the lower income bracket cope with the rising cost of commodities.

He was responding to a claim made by the opposition that subsidies under the Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M), Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) and Menu Rakyat 1Malaysia (MR1M) programmes were just tactics to divert the attention of the public from the real issues affecting them.

“We had spent much just to help those in need to cope with the rise in cost of daily necessities. Claims made by the opposition that the nation will go bankrupt are not true. In fact, their plans through the ‘Buku Jingga’ will ruin the nation should they administer the country,” said Ismail when met by reporters after attending a function here yesterday.

According to Ismail, the opposition parties were only good at making empty promises as they had no track record to prove their ability.

“All government programmes are done after thorough study and taking into account whether the government can afford it. Do not worry as the nation will not go bankrupt,” he assured.