KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 30): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wants the welfare of vulnerable groups in this country to continue to be given attention, in line with the concept of Madani economy.

Taking the example of the education sector, he said there are children of the rich who enjoy government-funded educational facilities, compared to the poor.

"As far as I understand, the majority benefits the elite groups such as senior civil servants, political leaders, [and] leading entrepreneurs, who are sending their children to the best schools funded by the government, and this is unreasonable, [and] unfair.

"Should a child of the rich be sent to the Faculty of Engineering, (whether) Malay, Chinese or Iban, he should pay, so that we can meet the demand; otherwise this subsidy will continue. This revenue will then be used to help the poor more," he said.

He said this when he opened the National Symposium: Eradicating Poverty in Putrajaya on Monday, which was also attended by Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli.

Therefore, Anwar, who is also finance minister, said all forms of leakages, including education subsidies to children of the rich, should stop.

While giving an indication on continuous government protection of vulnerable groups in Budget 2025, Anwar said subsidies to the rich that are being stopped will be diverted to help the poor.

He said that the government does not want the people to be left behind in the progress of the country, just because they are not given the right opportunities.

"If this country means independence and freedom, as well as justice, then the focus should be there (education), where schools should see continuous efforts to improve facilities, capabilities and quality.

"How should we do it? By ensuring funds are distributed. How can the funds be distributed? The form of leakage, including the [sending of] children of the wealthiest groups to science secondary schools that are aided and heavily subsidised by the government, should be stopped," he said.

The prime minister said that he is aware that some actions taken by his government are not popular with some people, but these need to be done for the welfare of the needy.

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