Maimunah engaging with community leaders in a town hall session to gather feedback for Budget 2026. — Filepic
WITH little over a week left in the year, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has yet to table its 2026 budget, an unusual delay that has raised concerns over transparency and accountability.
A DBKL spokesperson confirmed to StarMetro that there would be no traditional budget presentation by mayor Datuk Fadlun Mak Ujud.
The decision was particularly puzzling given that City Hall held a town hall session in June to gather public feedback for its 2026 budget.
Civic groups and several Kuala Lumpur MPs described the delay as worrying, citing DBKL’s large budget and its direct impact on residents’ daily lives.
Save Kuala Lumpur (SKL) chairman Datuk M. Ali called the omission highly unusual, particularly after a public feedback session was held.
“This raises questions about transparency and public participation,” he said, adding that DBKL’s budget was larger than even some state governments, making public engagement and disclosure even more critical.
In 2024, DBKL tabled a RM2.835bil budget for 2025, an increase of 6.57% or RM175mil compared with the previous year.
DBKL tabled a RM2.8bil budget for 2025 to develop Kuala Lumpur. — Filepic
Of the total allocation, RM2.196bil, or 77.5%, was for management expenditure, while RM638.65mil was set aside for development, including RM63.75mil from a federal grant.
Low says DBKL should benchmark itself against world-class cities.The June town hall session, led by then mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif, was meant to inform the budget planning process.
Kuala Lumpur Residents Action for Sustainable Development Association (KLRA+SD) honorary secretary Joshua Low said it was worrying that residents did not even have basic information about DBKL’s budget for next year.
“DBKL has not been transparent enough in its budget cycle, with public involvement largely ending at the budget town hall session.
“Residents are not informed which specific projects or initiatives will be implemented in the coming financial year,” he said.
Low said DBKL should benchmark itself against world-class cities such as London in England, where the budget preparation process and timelines were clearly communicated to ratepayers.
Lim says the level of silence on the 2026 budget is not acceptable.“A review of DBKL’s own website shows that annual reports are not updated regularly, and there is little publicly accessible information on budgets, unlike at the federal level,” he said.
“With the Freedom of Information Bill expected to be tabled in Parliament next year, we hope DBKL will be more proactive in releasing information, particularly on how assessment tax collected from residents is spent.”
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said he had received no word from DBKL on its Budget 2026, adding that it was odd no information was forthcoming.
“For a city with a budget that affects millions of residents, this level of silence is simply not acceptable,” he said.
Kok says there was no meeting with MPs on the budget.Seputeh MP Teresa Kok also said there had been no engagement with MPs on DBKL’s budget and that scheduled meetings with key leadership had been cancelled.
“Our inaugural meeting with the new mayor was cancelled, and our scheduled meeting with the former minister (Federal Territories minister Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa) was also cancelled,” she said.
“I agree that DBKL must present the budget to the public.
“The mayor has a responsibility to be accountable and to table the budget,” she said.
However, Kok said the current situation could be attributed to a transition period, with both the new minister and mayor needing time to familiarise themselves with their new roles.
Fadlun, formerly the Putrajaya Corporation president since 2022, clocked in for his first day of work on Nov 17, while Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh was appointed new Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) on Dec 16.
After Pakatan Harapan won the 14th General Election in 2018, Kuala Lumpur lawmakers were, for the first time, allowed to provide input on DBKL’s budget.
In 2019, seven of the city’s 11 MPs took part in a town hall session to discuss the proposed budget, while those unable to attend sent their representatives.
