PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli has questioned Putrajaya's smartphone rebate scheme, speculating that it was likely designed to benefit certain quarters by helping them clear old stock.

“Only selected dealers are offered the rebate, therefore the old models in their storage would be taken out and this would profit them,

“Surely, those old models would not help the youth get the desired 3G and internet use,” he was quoted saying in Sinar Harian’s online edition yesterday.

In addition, he said the RM200 rebate under the Youth Communications Package is irrelevant, because phone prices are lower than data costs, especially for pre-paid phone users.

“Therefore, Pakatan Rakyat believes that the rebate allocation would be better spent in providing wireless internet nationwide, especially in areas where there are concentrations of young people,” he reportedly said.

Why only 1.5m recipients?

Rafizi also questioned why the rebate is limited to only 1.5 million youths, since there are many more young people in the country.

The scheme that is due to kick-off on Jan 1, but has already drew flak from netizens criticising the RM500 ceiling price for applicable phone models as being too low.

This is in addition to the condition that only those between 21 to 30 years old and earning less than RM3,000 per month are eligible.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had defended the move saying that those who can afford smartphones above RM500 are not the target recipients.

However, Information Minister Rais Yatim said smartphones “slightly above” RM500 may be considered and the matter would be brought to the cabinet’s attention on Jan 2.