IPOH: The Federal Government’s mechanism to manage petroleum royalty payments to state governments should not be politicised, says Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim.
The political secretary to the Finance Minister said the current method of managing and disbursing royalties is not new and has long been practised.
“The spirit is to ensure that these funds are not used solely to cover salaries and emoluments, but are also coordinated so that projects for the people can be properly monitored and effectively carried out," he said.
Kamil had said this in a press conference in Klebang here on Friday (April 24).
He was responding to Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar's claim that the current mechanism is less efficient, as not all payments are channelled directly into the state government’s account.
Kamil said the approach is crucial to prevent leakages and mismanagement of public funds, while ensuring that allocations are used effectively.
Separately, Kamil dismissed claims that the Madani Mart initiative was politically driven, stressing that its aim was to ease the cost of living.
He said that, unlike previous initiatives that involved substantial government funding, Madani Mart was based on collaboration between Yayasan Madani and interested private parties.
"The initiative does not require products to be rebranded under a single label.
He was responding to remarks by Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin, who said that the initiative carries political elements than efforts to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
“At the end of the day, our priority is to reduce the burden on the rakyat. Any effort towards that should be supported,” he added.
