Anwar said it was not fair for senior public servants, political leaders, and successful businessmen to enjoy education subsidies when sending their children to such schools.

He said this was a form of subsidy leakage and that the government needed to bring it to a halt.

“We must be fair to those in need, especially the vulnerable groups. This is just an early announcement before Budget 2025 is tabled next month,” Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said at the National Symposium to End Poverty here today.

Budget 2025 will be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 18.

Anwar also said the ongoing dependency among vulnerable groups on government assistance needs to be addressed effectively and should not be allowed to continue.

Separately, economy minister Rafizi Ramli said the government is committed to strengthening efforts to eradicate hardcore poverty in line with the nation’s strong economic performance.

In his speech at the symposium, Rafizi warned that failure to do so would lead to a growing divide between the wealthy and the poor.