NIBONG TEBAL: Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has asked if the federal government's move to do away with providing subsidies has any links with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He asked if such a move would result in Malaysia borrowing money from the IMF.
"I am not accusing. I am merely asking. Try to answer this. I want to know the answer," he said at PN's Ceramah Mega for the Sungai Bakap by-election late last night.
Muhyiddin said when the value of Ringgit dropped during the reign of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was then the finance minister, had suggested the IMF.
"Tun (Dr Mahathir) did not accept the suggestion. Shortly after, Anwar was fired.
"Is what Malaysia doing now leading to us borrowing from the IMF?
"To do so, we must first do away with subsidies," he added.
Muhyiddin, a former prime minister himself, cited the recent diesel subsidy rationalisation as an example.
He said while the second Finance Minister had said that they were not doing away with subsidy, it seemed to lead to that.
"And what we are hearing now is that even the subsidy for petrol may be done away with.
"We are deeply concerned as all this caused hardship to the people," he said.
As such, Muhyiddin asked PN voters and supporters to vote in its candidate Abidin Ismail for the Sungai Bakap by-election to send a strong signal to Putrajaya that "enough is enough".