New agenda: Ahmad Zahid (left) at the UniKL Miat campus. — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: The two deputy prime ministers are hoping that no cuts will be made to the budget proposals made under the previous Budget 2023 tabled in Parliament.
Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in addition to focusing on rural infrastructure development, the Rural and Regional Development Ministry he helms also supported the government’s efforts to create business opportunities for younger or newer generation entrepreneurs.
“With that, I hope there will be little (if any) reduction in these sectors, and as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has promised, the ministry will be given priority in carrying out the programme in developing the rural agenda,” he told reporters after witnessing a memorandum of agreement exchange between the ministry’s technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institute and 18 industry players from the private sector at the Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Institute of Aviation Technology (UniKL Miat) Subang campus yesterday.
In his speech, Ahmad Zahid said the initiative also aimed to create more foreign direct investments into the country.
“For this, we need more support from industry players to create a highly skilled workforce from the TVET sector.
“We have to move towards becoming a developed country,” he said, adding that there should be no overlap in courses for TVET initiatives offered across ministries.
He said politics should be put aside when it comes to developing the TVET sector nationwide.
“Everyone wants the best for our nation. We will have to work together closely with smart partnerships between state governments and the federal government,” he added.
A total of 18 industry partners from the land, sea and air industries were involved in the ceremony yesterday, along with the ministry’s TVET institutes, namely Giatmara, Perda High Technology Institute (Perda-Tech), MARA Skills Institute, Mara High Technology College and UniKL.
On the retabling of Budget 2023, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who is the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, said his ministry had requested an increase in allocation.
This move was to encourage the diversification of downstream activities involving the plantation sectors, he added.
“We hope there would be no reductions in the (Budget 2023) allocations,” he told reporters after attending the Global Business Forum 2023 at Berjaya Times Square here yesterday.
Under the previously tabled Budget 2023 last year, a total of RM495.9mil was allocated to the ministry, comprising RM241mil for operating expenditure and RM254.8mil for development expenditure.
This was a reduction of RM176mil – or 26% –compared to the ministry’s allocation under Budget 2022.
