Words of caution: Dr Wee says the Budget was relying on lower government revenue, with the risk of the people having to shoulder the financial responsibility.
BUDGET 2026 contains misguided priorities where the financial burden was “transferred” to the people, says Ayer Hitam MP Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
He added that the Budget was relying on lower government revenue, with the risk of the people having to shoulder the financial responsibility.
“Because revenue collection is insufficient, what happens is that the burden of the public sector is transferred to consumers and taxpayers.
“Even more worrying is that the government is spending the very little revenue it has under Budget 2026 on priorities that are somewhat a little misguided,” he said, citing the RM600mil investment by Khazanah Nasional Bhd for the restoration of Carcosa Seri Negara and heritage buildings.
He described them as vanity projects whose allocation could have been put to better use, such as education and healthcare.
“This is seen where allocation for vanity projects was given priority at a time when there are doctor shortages at hospitals and public universities struggling due to lack of funds,” he said when debating the motion of thanks on Budget 2026.
Dr Wee said that having fiscal responsibility also means that every ringgit spent must bring benefit to the rakyat.
“It must be for strengthening the foundation, not for promoting political agendas or shifting the burden to the rakyat.
“When the previous government introduced transformation programmes, they were rejected in the name of reform,” he said.
“Now, what we see is not real reform but ‘transfer-kasi’, where the government’s financial burdens are being transferred to the people through new taxes, charges and hidden subsidy cuts.”
He added that the government must not treat government-linked companies and investment companies as its “ATM card” for vanity projects.
On health, he said the increase in allocation for the Health Ministry to RM46.5bil from RM45.3bil last year would not be enough to match the government’s plans to increase public healthcare doctor salaries while hiring more new ones.
“Doctors’ salaries are to be raised by 8%, with 4,500 new doctors and nearly 1,000 nurses to be hired. So it is clear that the RM1.2bil increase in funding will be inadequate,” he added.
Dr Wee also said the government’s plan to increase the general practitioner’s consultation fees ceiling from RM35 to RM80 would burden the people.
“The Health Ministry said the minimum fee remains at RM10, but where can one find a private clinic charging RM10 today?” he added.
On another issue, he called on the Higher Education Ministry to clarify which institutions would be eligible for the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) first-class honours loan repayment exemption.
Dr Wee said it would be unfair if students from private higher education institutions (IPTS) became ineligible for the exemption.
“The government should not penalise students simply because they study at private universities as they, too, are Malaysians who may not have had the opportunity to study at public universities,” he said.
He suggested the government set clear quality benchmarks, such as limiting the exemption to the top 10% of each programme, or restricting it to non-profit and fully accredited IPTS.
Earlier, Dr Wee, who is MCA president, thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for the continued RM40mil matching grant for Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT).
He said this was the continuous effort that has been ongoing since the college was first set up in 1969 and subsequently approved by Parliament.
@drweekasiong Semasa mengambil bahagian dalam Perbahasan Belanjawan 2026 di Dewan Rakyat semalam, saya turut menyentuh tentang reformasi kesihatan. Peruntukan Skim Perubatan Madani dikurangkan daripada RM100 juta pada 2025 kepada hanya RM50 juta pada 2026, menunjukkan kerajaan tidak menetapkan keutamaan dengan betul. Dalam masa sama, kadar caj klinik swasta (general practitioners (GP)) meningkat daripada RM10–35 kepada RM10–80. Persoalannya, mana nak cari caj rawatan GP swasta RM10 saja? Rakyat minta tanya di mana klinik RM10? Hakikatnya, ini memberi peluang kepada syarikat insurans untuk membayar RM10 kepada doktor swasta, selaras dengan arahan KKM apabila pengguna memberi insurans perubatan dengan premium murah. Rakan KKM yang diperkenalkan juga menimbulkan persoalan, adakah ia benar-benar menjadi jalan penyelesaiannya? Jika tidak diurus dengan telus, ia hanya mengalih beban kepada rakyat dan mewujudkan sistem dua darjat dalam perkhidmatan kesihatan awam - “siapa yang mampu, dia didahulukan” mula menjadi norma baharu. ___ During my participation in the 2026 Budget Debate in Dewan Rakyat yesterday, I also touched on the topic of healthcare reform. The allocation for the Madani Medical Scheme has been reduced from RM100 million in 2025 to only RM50 million in 2026, showing that the government has not set its priorities correctly. At the same time, private clinic (general practitioner or GP) consultation fees have increased from RM10–35 to RM10–80. The question is, where can one actually find a private GP charging only RM10? People are asking: Which clinic offers RM10 consultations? In reality, this allows insurance companies to pay only RM10 to private doctors, in line with the Ministry of Health’s directive when consumers buy low-premium medical insurance policies. The introduction of Rakan KKM also raises concerns — is this truly the solution? If not managed transparently, it risks shifting the burden onto the people and creating a two-tier healthcare system, where “those who can afford it get served first” becomes the new norm. #WeeCare #JurucakapRakyat #P148AyerHitam #Belanjawan2026 #DewanRakyat original sound - DrWeeKaSiong
