PM: Benefits to be equally shared

KUALA LUMPUR: More economic stimulus packages will be rolled out if they are needed to help Malaysians.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin says the benefits will be equally distributed among the people.

“The fruits of our efforts to revive the economy will be equally shared among the people regardless of race, religion and social status.

“The principles under the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 will be the basis of our policies, ” he said.

Muhyiddin said he would put forward the Bumiputera Agenda as a national agenda and among the efforts would include establishing a Bumiputera Prosperity Council chaired by him.

He also invited experts to share their views to bring the agenda forward.

Plans are also in place to digitalise the country under the National Digital Network (Jendela) under the 12th Malaysia Plan.

The government will also include food security in its prosperity plan as the country has the potential to produce food products to feed the people.

“Each year we import foodstuff such as milk and meat worth RM80bil but we have the potential to produce them ourselves.

“But we haven’t fully realised that, ” he said.

Meeting of minds: Muhyiddin and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (second from left) posing during a photo session with guests at the Perikatan Nasional Half-Year Administration Conference held at Persatuan Alumni Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. — GLENN GUAN/The Star

He renewed commitments to fight corruption through the National Anti-Corruption Plan as well as make way for institutional reforms to establish a more competent administration.

Muhyiddin also listed work on other areas such as education, health, public security and racial unity.

Separately, Muhyiddin said the Perikatan Nasional government had not stopped working for the people ever since it took over the government’s reins in March.

Even though Perikatan took over Putrajaya without a manifesto, Muhyiddin said it fulfilled the promise of caring for the rakyat in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis.

He said just because it had no manifesto to guide them when they came to power, it did not mean Perikatan could do as it pleases.

“No manifesto does not mean no accountability.

“As a leader, accountability is important to me and all the leaders are responsible for the people they lead, ” he said at a convention to mark Perikatan’s six months in power.

He said the moment the Perikatan government was formed, it hit the ground running as a functional Cabinet.

He said it faced its first hurdle with managing the unprecedented Covid-19 crisis without much of a reference point.

Muhyiddin said while controlling the spread of the disease, it also had to take care of the people’s welfare.

“Imposing the movement control order (MCO) was easy but ensuring economic protection was challenging, ” he said.

To counter that, the government initiated economic stimulus packages such as Penjana to jump start the economy in the midst of uncertainties.

“In the six months, we managed the Covid-19 crisis well with high recovery rates and low infection and death rates.

“Our economic sectors have also reopened with more than 15 million workers returning to work, ” he said.