Opposition manipulating DPM's remark, says MCA

SG LIMAU MCA has slammed the opposition for manipulating the issue of Deputy Prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin using the late Azizan Abdul Razak’s amputation to justify the abolition of sugar subsidy.

Party vice-president Gan Ping Sieu described the opposition’s tactic as showing a “low standard of political rhetoric”.

Speaking to the press after visiting MCA’s by-election operations centre in Sungai Limau today, Gan (centre in photo) said Muhyiddin’s remark was not being disrespectful to Azizan.

He said if it was not because of the by-election, Muhyiddin would not use Azizan as an example.

At a school event during the by-election campaign last Saturday, Muhyiddin, who is also the education minister, justified abolishing the sugar subsidy by pointing to the late Sungai Limau state assemblyperson.

The former Kedah menteri besar had his legs amputated prior to his death, due to diabetes.

The DPM used Azizan’s fate to illustrate how the government’s move was correct as removing the subsidy was purportedly aimed at reducing sugar intake to avoid diabetes.

To this, Gan echoed the government’s justification by saying that more expenses were needed to upgrade medical services for the high diabetes rate.

He added that the current subsidy system, where the government poured money in to pay for food, had distorted the economic model.

Giving an example, the high subsidy amount was just like making the government to treat 3 million foreign workers and 1 million tourists for meals.

“Malaysians have the most food-wasting habits because our food is too cheap due to the subsidy,” he explained.

Gan added that those countries that had more subsidies would face worse smuggling problems for items such as sugar and petrol.

Related stories