Malaysia PM announces new measures to address rising living costs
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim delivers his speech during the 58th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers' Meeting at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 9, 2025. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain/File Photo
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday announced new measures to address growing public disquiet about the rising cost of living, including a cash handout for all adult citizens and a promise to lower fuel prices.
The announcement came ahead of a planned protest to be held in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, calling for Anwar to step down over escalating prices and a failure to deliver on promised reforms, among other concerns.
Anwar's administration has carried out a number of measures to boost revenue and productivity this year, including a minimum wage hike, increased electricity tariffs on heavy power users, and new sales taxes on some imported fruits and luxury goods.
Anwar has said the moves were mainly targeted at large businesses and the wealthy, but critics have voiced fears that higher costs would eventually be passed down to consumers, including lower and middle income earners.
On Wednesday, Anwar said all adult Malaysians above 18 years old will receive a 100 ringgit ($23.67) one-off cash aid to be disbursed from August 31.
The government will spend a total 15 billion ringgit ($3.55 billion) in cash aid in 2025, up from 13 billion ringgit originally allocated for the year, he said.
Police have said they expect between 10,000 and 15,000 people to attend the Saturday protest, which has been organised by opposition parties.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore S'pore's domestic recycling rate drops to all time low of 11%
Singapore HDB launches 10,209 BTO and balance flats, as priority scheme for singles kick in
Business Singapore's digital banks finding their niche in areas like SMEs as they narrow losses in 2024
Asia Japan Prime Minister Ishiba to resign by August, Mainichi newspaper reports
World Trump says US will charge 19% tariff on goods from Philippines, down from 20%
Singapore Two found dead after fire in Toa Payoh flat
Singapore 2 foreigners arrested for shop theft at Changi Airport
Singapore Ports and planes: The 2 Singapore firms helping to keep the world moving
"I acknowledge the complaints and accept that the cost of living remains a challenge that must be addressed, even though we have announced various measures thus far," Anwar said.
He added that further initiatives to aid those in poverty will be launched on Thursday.
Anwar said the government will also announce details on a long-awaited plan to remove blanket subsidies on the widely used RON95 transport fuel before the end of September.
Once the subsidy changes are implemented, Malaysians will see fuel prices at the pump drop to 1.99 ringgit per litre, compared to the current price of 2.05 ringgit, Anwar said.
Foreign nationals however will have to pay unsubsidised market prices for the fuel, he added.
Anwar also announced additional allocations for a government programme aimed at increasing access to affordable goods and necessities, and vowed to improve other existing aid measures.
Malaysia has seen inflation fall this year, but worries persist over increasing prices of basic necessities like food.
Data released this week showed consumer prices rising 1.1% from a year earlier last month, but the costs of food and beverages were up at a faster pace of 2.1%. REUTERS
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
23 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Ukraine facing fierce fighting around eastern city of Pokrovsk, Zelensky says
Find out what's new on ST website and app. A May 2025 photo shows Ukrainian officials who evacuate people from front-line towns and villages in Pokrovsk, in Ukraine's Donetsk region. KYIV - President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 25 that Ukrainian forces were facing fierce fighting around the city of Pokrovsk in the east, a logistics hub near which Russia has been announcing the capture of villages on an almost daily basis. Mr Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, said Ukraine's top commander, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, told a meeting of senior officials that the situation around Pokrovsk was the current focal point of its attention in the war, which began when Russia invaded in February 2022. 'All operational directions were covered, with particular focus on Pokrovsk. It receives the most attention,' Mr Zelensky said. Ukrainian forces, he said, were also 'continuing to act' in border areas in the northern Sumy region, where Russian troops have gained a foothold in recent weeks. Gen Syrskyi, in a separate report on the Telegram messaging app, described Pokrovsk and five other sectors as among the most difficult theatres along the 1,000km front. 'The Russian Federation is paying the maximum price for attempting a 'summer offensive',' Gen Syrskyi wrote. Russian forces have for months been trying to close in on Pokrovsk, a road and rail hub whose pre-war population of about 60,000 has been all but evacuated. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Asia 'Nothing like this has happened before': At least 16 dead as Thai-Cambodian conflict continues Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly Gen Syrskyi in May reported that Kyiv's troops had stabilised the situation around the town, also the site of the only colliery in Ukraine producing coking coal for the country's steel industry. Russia's Defence Ministry on July 24 announced the capture of two villages on either side of Pokrovsk - Zvirove to the west and Novoekonomichne to the east. A third village near the city - Novotoretske - was declared by Moscow to be 'liberated' earlier in the week. Ukrainian officials have made no acknowledgement that the villages have changed hands. The General Staff of Ukraine's military said in an evening report that two of them - Zvirove and Novoekonomichne - were in areas where Russian troops were trying to penetrate Ukrainian defences. In the Sumy region, where Russian troops are trying to establish what Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin calls a 'buffer zone', the popular Ukrainian military blog DeepState said Kyiv's forces had retaken a previously lost village. DeepState, which relies on open source reports to track the presence of Russian forces, said Ukrainian troops had restored control over the village of Kindrativka. There was no official comment from either side. REUTERS

Straits Times
23 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US judge reaffirms nationwide injunction blocking Trump executive order on birthright citizenship
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media, after the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the power of federal judges by restricting their ability to grant broad legal relief in cases as the justices acted in a legal fight over President Donald Trump's bid to limit birthright citizenship, in the Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington D.C., June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo WASHINGTON - A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled on Friday that a nationwide injunction he issued in February that blocked President Donald Trump's executive order limiting birthright citizenship should remain in place. In a written ruling, U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston said his earlier nationwide injunction was the only way to provide complete relief to a coalition of Democratic-led states that brought the lawsuit before him, rejecting the Trump administration's argument that a narrower ruling was warranted because of a June decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Sorokin wrote that the evidence before him "does not support a finding that any narrower option would feasibly and adequately protect the plaintiffs from the injuries they have shown they are likely to suffer if the unlawful policy announced in the Executive Order takes effect during the pendency of this lawsuit." The White House and Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, a Democrat, said in a statement that the states were thrilled with the decision. "American-born babies are American, just as they have been at every other time in our nation's history. The president cannot change that legal rule with the stroke of a pen.' The Supreme Court's June 27 ruling in litigation over Trump's birthright citizenship order limited the ability of judges to issue so-called "universal" injunctions -- in which a single district court judge can block enforcement of a federal policy across the country -- and directed lower courts that had blocked the Republican president's policy nationally to reconsider the scope of their orders. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Asia 'Nothing like this has happened before': At least 16 dead as Thai-Cambodian conflict continues Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly But the ruling contained exceptions allowing courts to potentially still block it across the country again. That has already allowed a judge in New Hampshire to once again halt Trump's order from taking effect by issuing an injunction in a nationwide class action of children who would be denied citizenship under the policy. A federal appeals court in California on Wednesday said Trump's executive order violated the citizenship clause of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment by denying citizenship to many persons born in the U.S., and blocked its enforcement nationwide. Trump signed the executive order on January 20, his first day back in office, as part of his crackdown on immigration. The executive order directed federal agencies to refuse to recognize the citizenship of U.S.-born children who do not have at least one parent who is an American citizen or lawful permanent resident, also known as a "green card" holder. It was swiftly challenged in court by Democratic attorneys general from 22 states and immigrant rights advocates who argued it was unconstitutional. Last week, the states had argued at a hearing before Sorokin that a nationwide injunction was essential. They said restricting birthright citizenship in some states but not others would make it difficult to administer federal benefits programs like Medicaid. A patchwork approach would also lead to confusion among immigrant parents and a surge of people moving to states where Trump's executive order is on hold, straining resources, they argued. The Justice Department had countered that the states, by continuing to advocate for universal relief, had failed to come to grips with the Supreme Court's decision. REUTERS

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Ukraine facing fierce fighting around eastern city of Pokrovsk, Zelenskiy says
FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a press briefing following phone calls with U.S. President Donald Trump, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 19, 2025. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Ukrainian forces were facing fierce fighting around the city of Pokrovsk in the east, a logistics hub near which Russia has been announcing the capture of villages on an almost daily basis. Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, said Ukraine's top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, told a meeting of senior officials that the situation around Pokrovsk was the current focal point of its attention in the war, which began when Russia invaded in February 2022. "All operational directions were covered, with particular focus on Pokrovsk. It receives the most attention," Zelenskiy said. Ukrainian forces, he said, were also "continuing to act" in border areas in the northern Sumy region, where Russian troops have gained a foothold in recent weeks. Syrskyi, in a separate report on the Telegram messaging app, described Pokrovsk and five other sectors as among the most difficult theatres along the 1,000-km (620-mile) front. "The Russian Federation is paying the maximum price for attempting a 'summer offensive,'" Syrskyi wrote. Russian forces have for months been trying to close in on Pokrovsk, a road and rail hub whose pre-war population of about 60,000 has been all but evacuated. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Asia 'Nothing like this has happened before': At least 16 dead as Thai-Cambodian conflict enters second day Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly Syrskyi in May reported that Kyiv's troops had stabilised the situation around the town, also the site of the only colliery in Ukraine producing coking coal for the country's steel industry. Russia's Defence Ministry on Thursday announced the capture of two villages on either side of Pokrovsk -- Zvirove to the west and Novoekonomichne to the east. A third village near the city -- Novotoretske -- was declared by Moscow to be "liberated" earlier in the week. Ukrainian officials have made no acknowledgement that the villages have changed hands. The General Staff of Ukraine's military said in an evening report that two of them -- Zvirove and Novoekonomichne - were in areas where Russian troops were trying to penetrate Ukrainian defences. In Sumy region, where Russian troops are trying to establish what Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin calls a "buffer zone", the popular Ukrainian military blog DeepState said Kyiv's forces had retaken a previously lost village. DeepState, which relies on open source reports to track the presence of Russian forces, said Ukrainian troops had restored control over the village of Kindrativka. There was no official comment from either side. REUTERS