PETALING JAYA: The Cabinet will huddle in Cyberjaya this week for a two-day retreat which ministers say has no political agenda but is aimed at finding ways to “uplift the livelihood of Malaysians”.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the retreat on Wednesday and Thursday would focus on improving the economy.
“There is nothing political. On my part, I will present the Rural and Regional Development Ministry’s plans on how to uplift the socioeconomic status of millions of Malaysians.”
The ministry, he said, had looked into various programmes to be implemented in villages nationwide, such as upgrading the agricultural sector and assisting entrepreneurship to improve the lives of those in the rural areas.
Ahmad Zahid said his ministry was also looking into “pico and nano businesses” which are smaller than micro businesses, or very small outfits that make less than RM60,000 in business transactions annually.
“These are people we need to uplift with better programmes through our agencies and other agencies from other ministries.
“More than eight million Malaysians live in rural areas. This comprises 24% of the population. It is a big group that has to be catered to in terms of infrastructure, education and entrepreneurship,” he added.
The two-day retreat will see the participation of all ministers in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet.
Last year, ministers held a retreat in Sri Perdana, Putrajaya, to report on their performance in their first 100 days in office.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said yesterday that this week’s retreat would be the second one held by the unity government since it took over Putrajaya in 2022.
This retreat, he said, would differ from the one held last year when they presented the key performance indicator (KPI) performance of each ministry and minister.
“This time, the retreat will showcase a compact, intact and united government which is functioning well as it is important for the government to prove there is political stability.
“The retreat will focus on strengthening the economy, the welfare of the people in terms of social justice, as well as good governance,” he said.
Besides gathering ministers’ input, Saifuddin Nasution said there would also be “third-party input” from agencies and experts.
“This is to enable the Cabinet to examine views from those outside the government framework,” he added.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said ministers would also look into ending hardcore poverty.
(Although the percentage of hardcore poverty has decreased over the decades, the Economy Ministry said there are 18,445 households living in hardcore poverty as of two months ago.)
“The retreat will look at issues connected to the well-being of the people.
“There will be a number of experts who will present a few topics, including the current economic situation of the country,” he said.
Like the other ministers, Mohamad said: “There will be no politics.”
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin reiterated that the retreat would look into the views of experts from outside the government.
“Unlike previously, there won’t be a presentation of plans from each ministry, but there will be presentations by various experts on important areas and topics.
“From there, we will evaluate, discuss and provide views on how we can implement them in government plans,” he said.
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said there was a need for a “whole of government” approach involving all ministries and agencies in working on ways to handle the cost of living.
“This is because issues linked to the cost of living is not only about food prices but also the whole chain of goods and services including housing, transport, health and others,” he said.
