PUTRAJAYA, Aug 30 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today announced six immediate measures for the people covering fuel subsidies, school maintenance, artificial intelligence (AI), healthcare digitalisation, e-Invoicing and microfinancing, which will take effect on September 1.

He said all the measures were part of the government’s efforts to address the people’s concerns, particularly those related to the cost of living and pressures of daily life.

“Although various measures have been implemented, I, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Cabinet have never assumed that we have solved all the problems, and this is not a curtain to conceal the people’s concerns. I understand that the people are still struggling with the cost of living.

“Therefore, on the eve of National Day, I have had to make efforts, seek solutions and take steps to announce something that can provide temporary relief... for schoolchildren, youths, housewives and mothers,” Anwar said when delivering the 2026 National Day Prime Minister’s Address at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) here today.

Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil, Cabinet ministers and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar. 

Through the first measure, the Prime Minister said the government had agreed to restore the basic eligibility for the Budi Madani RON95 (BUDI95) programme from 200 litres to 300 litres per month, enabling more than 16 million users to enjoy subsidised RON95.

At the same time, he said more than half a million eligible owners of diesel-powered pickup trucks and four-wheel-drive vehicles would enjoy Budi Diesel of up to 400 litres per month.

He also announced that the allocation for the maintenance of all types of schools for 2027 would be increased by 50 per cent from RM1 billion to RM1.5 billion, covering all streams including national schools, Chinese and Tamil national-type schools, religious schools, tahfiz and pondok schools, as well as special education.

Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said he had also instructed the Education Ministry to mobilise efforts at district level to scrutinise infrastructure repair applications so that maintenance work could begin as early as January 2027.

The third measure involves the AI for the People programme, which is open to Malaysian youths aged 18 to 30, with 100,000 youths who complete the prescribed modules to receive free subscriptions to AI applications for three months, including IlmuChat, Gemini Enterprise, Wonderclip and MuleRun.

For the fourth measure, the Prime Minister said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) would provide RM1 billion to strengthen the digital efficiency of the public healthcare sector, including the implementation of the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system and Internet connectivity at 150 hospitals and more than 2,000 public health clinics.

“The government has also agreed to raise the e-Invoice exemption threshold from RM1 million to RM3 million annually, thereby exempting businesses with annual sales not exceeding RM3 million from the obligation to implement it,” he said.

In addition, microfinancing facilities would be increased by RM1 billion, bringing the total funding for 2026 from RM5 billion to RM6 billion.

Anwar said the government would also introduce the RM200 million Geran Sejahtera Madani to assist hawkers, small traders, night market traders and mothers running businesses from home.

“This is the spirit of our unity. Hopefully, all six measures can be implemented because they stem from one clear principle, namely that economic growth must be returned to the people,” Anwar said.

Meanwhile, in a Facebook post, Anwar said further announcements would be made during the Malaysia Day celebrations in Sarawak, as well as through the tabling of Budget 2027.

“Hopefully, these measures will, to some extent, ease the burden on the people and give real meaning to this year’s National Day celebrations,” he said.

The Prime Minister said he and the entire Madani Government team would continue to listen to the voices and concerns of the people and work hard to ensure that every achievement of the country was translated into greater benefits for the people and a more prosperous and dignified life. — Bernama