AMID global challenges and uncertainties, Johoreans hope the upcoming Budget 2026 will continue to bolster the country’s economy without compromising the well-being of the people.
Watch shop proprietor Peter Han expressed his belief that political stability is key to continued foreign investment.
“Political instability will drive foreign investors away,” he said.
He added that politicians should stop bickering and focus on the welfare of the people.
The 56-year-old suggests Malaysia emulate Singapore through promotions, vouchers and deals from the different brands and platforms to mark National Day.
“The move will boost domestic spending and help retailers increase earnings,” he said.
Tan Siam Noi, 66, hopes to see more goodies for senior citizens, especially in healthcare, including hiring caregivers.
“Hiring them is not cheap.
“The government should consider giving financial assistance to non-governmental organisations providing homecare services to our senior citizens,” she said.
The homemaker also suggested the government raise the one-off RM100 cash aid under the “Sumbangan Asas Rahmah” (Sara) for Malaysians aged 18 and above to at least RM250.
“While we are grateful for the cash aid, RM100 does not really go a long way when taking into account inflation,” added Tan.
Security guard S. Paneer, 46, wants the government to address the rise in the price of goods and services as it impacts low-income earners and urban poor families.
“Affordable housing should be given priority in next year’s budget, especially for a big city like Johor Baru,” he said.
He suggested that state-owned land should be passed to the federal housing projects, including rent-to-own, especially in urban growth centres.
“We also want the authorities to conduct regular spot-checks to ensure only the eligible are renting units in the People’s Housing Projects (PPR),” he said.
Household retail outlet supervisor N. Kurpammah, 37, said more needs to be done to attract foreign investors as they could help create job opportunities for locals.
She is optimistic that the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) will have a positive effect on Johor.
“We need to reduce our dependence on foreign workers and create more jobs for locals,” said Kurpammah.
She said this could be done through incentives, tax reliefs or rebates for companies like multinational corporations (MNCs) to hire more locals.
Retail assistant Azalia Hasnah Najwa Sutiman, 22, suggested the government allow the purchase of non-food items should there be another RM100 Sara in 2026.
“Give those of us aged 18 to 25 the option to spend the money on dining out, for instance, as single people hardly cook,” she said.
Azalia Hasnah also urged the government to consider increasing the RM100 aid to RM300, as the cost of living is rising.
Mechanical engineering diploma student Arief Rahimi Abdul Hadi said the country needed high-technology and capital-intensive investments.
“The way forward for Malaysia is to focus on research and development (R&D), if we want to emerge as a developed nation like Germany and Japan,” he said.
The 22-year-old intends to do a degree programme at a university in Japan after completing his studies here in March next year.
“We will need more skilled and competent workers in years to come, especially in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) for nation building,” he said.
Malaysians can submit their suggestions and feedback on Budget 2026 to belanjawan.mof.gov.my
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also Finance Minister, will be tabling Budget 2026 in Parliament on Oct 10.
