An online poll found 81% of 4,877 respondents opposed replacing fuel subsidies with direct cash aid, though it is not nationally representative.
KUALA LUMPUR: A social media poll on whether fuel subsidies should be replaced with direct cash assistance has reignited debate over how the government should help Malaysians cope with living costs.
Former minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad recently posed the question on Threads, asking users whether the existing fuel subsidy should be converted into cash assistance for ordinary Malaysians, excluding the top 5% income group, or T5.
The response was overwhelmingly against the proposal, with 81% of the 4,877 respondents voting “No”. Another 14% supported the idea, while 5% remained undecided.
While the poll cannot be taken as a definitive measure of public opinion, it highlights differing views over the benefits of subsidising fuel compared with providing households with direct financial assistance.
Financial influencer Financial Faiz said the two forms of assistance served different purposes.
He explained that fuel subsidies help reduce the amount consumers pay for petrol, while cash assistance is designed to provide direct financial support to households.
He also pointed to existing assistance programmes such as Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA), which provide financial support to eligible recipients.
However, Financial Faiz argued that the effects of fuel subsidies extend beyond the price motorists pay at petrol stations.
Lower fuel costs can also influence transportation expenses, which in turn may affect the prices of goods and services, he said.
He also supported the existing quota-based subsidy mechanism, arguing that it enables eligible consumers to access subsidised fuel while helping to reduce potential leakages.
The broader policy question for the government is therefore whether to improve and further target the existing subsidy system or gradually move towards providing more direct assistance to households.
Nik Nazmi’s poll indicates that replacing fuel subsidies with cash aid could face resistance among at least some members of the public who responded.
However, the poll comes with an important limitation.
Conducted on Threads, it was not a nationally representative survey and its results cannot be used to determine the views of Malaysians as a whole.
The 81% figure represents the proportion of the 4,877 people who participated in the online poll who rejected the proposal. It should not be interpreted as meaning that 81% of Malaysians are opposed to replacing fuel subsidies with direct cash assistance.
