YOUNG children, senior citizens and persons with disabilities are expected to be among the main priorities of the Selangor 2027 Budget.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the state wanted targeted programmes that addressed specific problems faced by the three groups.
“Senior citizens, children and persons with disabilities are vital groups that we should support.
“These three may become our focus for 2027, with specific programmes and issues that we need to resolve together,” he said during the Selangor 2027 Budget engagement session at the Selangor International Trade Centre in Shah Alam.
Amirudin said the state would focus on resolving specific issues in 2027 rather than pursuing numerous short-term measures.
“We want to ensure that the state is not only developed through a strong economy, high investment or advances in artificial intelligence and semiconductors. Just as important is that its economic progress is enjoyed fairly by the people,” he said.
The Mentri Besar said longer life expectancy and a lower birth rate were pushing Selangor towards an ageing society, increasing pressure on working-age adults and the need to support children and senior citizens.
He said support could take the form of direct financial or in-kind assistance, education and skills development, and government investment in suitable infrastructure.
He added that the state was also looking to coordinate its existing childcare, caregiver and early-intervention programmes before the budget was tabled.
Other areas being considered for the 2027 budget include employment, financial hardship, Orang Asli development, the creative economy and food security.
E-hailing drivers are among workers identified for reskilling to help them move into permanent employment or entrepreneurship.
Selangor government is also mulling a “decent living standard” benchmark reflecting conditions in different localities, instead of relying solely on the poverty line when assessing financial hardship.
Dedicated tuition and broader educational assistance for Orang Asli children are among the considerations.
On the creative economy, Amirudin said the state could select one or two established subsectors and develop their entire ecosystem.
“We should have a focus and choose one or two areas that we can support and develop,” he said.
"Food security is another area being considered, with the padi sector requiring a more systematic approach to problems involving seeds, floor prices, disease control, irrigation, soil treatment and middlemen."
He said previous measures had often provided temporary relief without resolving the underlying problems.
“It was like giving a painkiller to solve the problem,” said Amirudin.
He suggested selecting one issue, such as seed supply or disease management, and resolving it comprehensively before moving to the next.
