Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said the council, which met last night, felt that scaling back on subsidies should not be done if they are found to be ineffective due to weak enforcement.

“The government should address the rising cost of food holistically. For example, the proposal to set up a national poultry board should be considered so that the issue of chicken supply can be addressed holistically to prevent manipulation by cartels with vested interests,” he said in a statement.

The government had recently announced that it was moving from “blanket subsidies” to “targeted subsidies” to ensure they reach the right group of Malaysians.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the discontinuation of subsidies for bottled pure cooking oil. He added, however, that cooking oil in 1kg polybags will continue to be subsidised.

Ismail also said Putrajaya will lift the ceiling price for chicken and eggs.

However, yesterday, the government said it will not allow the free float of chicken prices but will instead set a new ceiling price.

On another matter, Ahmad said the Supreme Council felt that the anti-party hopping law should be tabled in Parliament before the next general election (GE15) is called, adding that the party would also back any political funding legislation.

He said the council also decided that the Barisan Nasional (BN) machinery at all levels should start getting ready to face GE15.