KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has described 2024 as a historic year that served as the prelude and foundation for Malaysia's national reform agenda.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said throughout 2024, the government initiated transformative efforts with clear political will, sincere intentions and meticulous evaluation to ensure that policies implemented benefit the majority of the people.
He said the launch of the Madani Economic Framework on July 27, 2023, was a significant milestone that provides a clear direction for re-establishing Malaysia as a leading economy in the Asian region.
"What is more pressing and essential is the Madani Economic Framework, which offers guidance to leadership and future generations to embed an economic system founded on humanitarian principles, compassion and justice to ensure fairness for every Malaysian citizen.
"For example, the targeted diesel subsidy and earlier initiatives on electricity tariffs driven by the Madani government aim to address long-standing leakages from bulk subsidies that benefited the ultra-wealthy and foreign nationals (and allowed) three and a half million people who were not eligible to receive subsidies," he said.
Anwar highlighted this in his 2025 New Year's address, which was broadcast on local television channels on Tuesday (Dec 31) night.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that not all government decisions and policies are immediately popular or yield instant results.
Anwar also expressed gratitude for this year's added allocation of RM10bil for the Rahmah Cash Aid (STR) and 'Sumbangan Asas Rahmah' (Sara) initiatives, the largest amount in history.
"God-willing, the government plans to increase next year's allocation for STR and Sara by RM3bil, or 30%, bringing the total to RM13bil.
"In addition to increasing annual aid, the government is actively addressing the rising cost of living through the nationwide 'Payung Rahmah' programme, as well as deploying monitoring teams to take action against any party found arbitrarily inflating prices," he said.
Anwar also said that unexpected and severe floods must be addressed wisely.
He assured that efforts are ongoing in all states to ensure aid reaches affected communities promptly, while recovery and assistance operations are being coordinated by all federal and state government agencies in collaboration with local authorities.
"Sustainable preparedness operations have been outlined early on to mitigate the adverse impacts of such disasters. God-willing, we will be able to protect more lives and minimise damage to property," said the Prime Minister.
He said besides focusing on basic infrastructure such as roads, highways and utilities, the government's development expenditure will also prioritise flood mitigation projects in high-risk areas, despite their significant financial impact. – Bernama
