Drafting begins as PM calls for growth beyond economic figures
KUALA LUMPUR: Budget 2027 will be tabled in Parliament in early October, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“We are drafting it now. We have just started,” the Prime Minister told reporters after opening the Humane Economy Global Discourse 2026.
According to the Dewan Rakyat calendar, the tabling of Budget 2027 has been scheduled for Oct 9.
In his speech, Anwar said Malaysia’s economic growth must be driven by moral purpose while remaining competitive and open to investment.
“This is a major challenge. To reclaim humanity is to recover a simple but too often neglected truth (which is) the economy is a means, not an end in itself.
“No society rises merely because it has highways, buildings, technology or financial resources. It rises when it has a serious understanding of human philosophy, of justice, of knowledge, of responsibility and of the future,” he said.
Anwar said growth is not merely about producing more numbers, greater consumption, or larger concentrations of wealth, but about enabling people to live with dignity, security, purpose, and hope.
“It means asking, before every major decision, whether growth widens opportunity or narrows it; whether it strengthens families and communities or leaves them more vulnerable; whether it treats human beings as partners in development or merely as instruments of production.
“Believe me, these questions are real and tough. Next month or so, I will grapple with formalising the budget for next year,” he said.
Anwar said Malaysia’s budget, growth, economic policies, semiconductor strategy, energy transition and digital transformation cannot ignore the attempt to restore the moral purpose of governance and development.
“It is not a slogan to be placed on banners. It must be reflected in policy, institutions, and conduct,” he said.
Anwar said prosperity cannot be selective and should be translated into better wages, meaningful work, affordable housing, accessible healthcare, quality education, thriving communities, and genuine mobility.
