KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim clarified today that RM8,500 daily is spent on power bills for the prime minister's complex, and not his residence.

Although the complex is located within the prime minister's official residence, the minister appeared to defend the exorbitant bill, amid Putrajaya’s call for the public to embrace austerity.

"Regarding the discussion that we supposedly spent more than RM3 million on the prime minister's residence, they forgot that ... it is actually the prime minister's complex, some MPs do not understand the difference between residence and complex.

"The people need to understand between complex and residence. This is not the residence, this is the Prime Minister's complex which includes a multipurpose hall, staff quarters, where seminars are conducted in the Prime Minister's complex," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

In a written reply to the Seremban MP Anthony Loke, the Arau MP disclosed yesterday that the electricity bill of the prime minister’s complex cost taxpayers RM2.2 million while the deputy prime minister’s was RM865,458 for 2012.

He also revealed that for the same year, Putrajaya spent RM311,174 and RM99,264 respectively for the prime minister and the deputy prime minister’s water bills.

In tabling the 2014 Budget last Friday, the prime minister announced plans to implement the goods and services tax (GST) by April 2015 in a move aimed at widening the government’s revenue base and trimming its fast-growing deficit.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak also announced a sugar subsidy slash in a move analysts described as the start of more spending cuts anticipated in the near future.

Speaking on this, Najib said it was time the public adjust to austerity as Putrajaya rolls out efforts to “strengthen” Malaysia’s “economic resilience” but the opposition claimed the policies were only aimed at concealing the government’s poor finances.

According to the Prime Minister's Office web site, the Seri Perdana Complex is the official residence of the prime minister, located at Persiaran Seri Perdana, Precint 10, Putrajaya.

Seri Perdana was built in 1997 on a 42.5-acre site and includes a main guest salon, a meeting room, a special dining hall and a banquet hall.