5 PLEDGES ON HOLD

FIVE initiatives in the government’s ‘10 promises in 100 days’ manifesto will be deferred until the country’s financial situation improves.

THE AFFECTED PLEDGES

1 TARGETED PETROL SUBSIDY FOR CARS UNDER 1,300cc AND MOTORCYCLES UNDER 125cc 2 DELAYING REPAYMENT PERIOD OF PTPTN LOANS FOR GRADS EARNING RM4,000 AND BELOW 3 EXPANSION OF SELANGOR GOVT’S SKIM PEDULI SIHAT NATIONWIDE 4 RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE 5 EPF CONTRIBUTIONS FOR HOUSEWIVES

THE Pakatan Harapan government has decided to postpone at least five of the initiatives in its “10 promises in 100 days” election manifesto until the country’s financial situation recovers.

Among the initiatives are targeted petrol subsidies for cars under 1,300cc and motorcycles under 125cc; Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributions for housewives; raising the minimum wage; and, delaying the repayment period for National Higher Education Fund Corporation loans for graduates earning RM4,000 and below.

Also postponed is the nationwide expansion of the Selangor government’s Skim Peduli Sihat, which offers RM500 basic treatment at registered private clinics for Bottom 40 per cent households.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the initiatives would be carried out by the Federal Government once the country’s financial situation improved.

“As much as the government wants to carry out all these in 100 days, the government has a fiscal responsibility and will not repeat the mistakes of the previous government by creating financial problems which will lead the country to bankruptcy if not contained.

“The government remains committed to fulfilling the manifesto pledges once the financial situation permits.

“If the nation’s financial situation improves in 100 days, we will carry out (the initiatives), but if not, we will wait until it improves,” he said at the Finance Ministry here yesterday.

On fuel prices, Lim said the price of RON95 petrol and diesel would stay at the current prices (RM2.20 and RM2.18 per litre), while RON97 would be set to the current market price and revised every Thursday, beginning June 7.