KOTA KINABALU: The Madani government remains committed to safeguarding the "people's economy" by ensuring that the country's economic performance translates into tangible benefits for all segments of society, says Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.
The Communications Minister said while economic indicators at both the national and state levels showed encouraging growth, including in investment, revenue, reserves, gross domestic product (GDP) and trade, the most important measure was their impact on people's daily lives.
"People's economy is the economy that you and I experience ourselves. For example, the implementation of diesel subsidy retargeting or Budi Madani, and we know that in Sabah and Sarawak, some people have to travel between districts and cover considerable distances. This is something that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Cabinet are paying attention to.
"This is what enables the people to see that excellence at the national level really has an impact, so that it can be enjoyed, felt and reflected in their wallets and pockets. This will be one of our priorities," he said.
He said this when officiating the Communications Ministry's Sabah and Labuan Zone excellent service awards (APC) ceremony here Monday (Aug 10).
Also present were Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah, ministry senior division secretary (management) Datuk Aminurrahim Mohamed and Information Department director-general Erwin Khairul Ahmad.
Also present were Malaysian Broadcasting Department deputy director-general (strategic broadcasting) Datuk Mas Rizal Mohd Hilmi, Community Communications Department deputy director-general (community communications) Suwadi Guliling and National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) deputy director-general (management) Datin Rozita Waty Ridzuan.
Fahmi said while the government continued to focus on overall macroeconomic performance, greater importance should be placed on ensuring that economic growth translated into benefits directly felt by individuals in their daily lives.
He said attention to the realities of people's lives was also important, particularly in implementing policies such as targeted subsidies, which have different impacts depending on location and local circumstances, including the long distances between districts in Sabah and Sarawak.
Fahmi said ministries and government agencies also had a responsibility to ensure that policies and programmes were accurately and comprehensively explained to the people to prevent misinterpretation or confusion. - Bernama
