KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Government reported a stable financial standing in 2022, an improvement over previous years during the global Covid-19 pandemic, says Datuk Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi.
The Auditor-General said despite an increase in the federal debt from RM979.814bil to RM1.079tril in 2022, it should be noted that the country’s revenue, financial performance and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had also increased.
“Debt is unavoidable. We need money for programmes and activities. It (the debt) allows us to utilise the loans for development and repayment.
“So, it (the financial statement) is stable, and if we keep on paying our debts, (which) we need to, we will be on the road to recovery, and we look forward to what the Finance Ministry and Prime Minister will table (in Budget 2024) this Friday (Oct 13),” she told reporters when met at Parliament here on Tuesday (Oct 10).
Following the reopening of economic activities after the lockdowns caused by the pandemic, Wan Suraya said Malaysia’s revenue saw promising growth, primarily due to the contribution from the oil and gas sector.
Earlier, during a press conference at the Parliament lobby, the Public Accounts Committee vice-chairman Wong Shu Qi said the Auditor-General’s Report released on Tuesday revealed that PETRONAS is the biggest dividend contributor to the government with RM50bil in 2022.
“This is compared to the RM25bil (dividend) in 2021, with the total amount of investment dividends received from 16 government-linked companies and two statutory bodies amounting to RM55.815bil,” Wong said.
