Decision on pay hike soon

KLUANG: Any decision on a possible increase in the minimum wage to RM2,000 should be left to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement when tabling Budget 2027, says Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.

The Economy Minister said any adjustment, particularly one affecting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), would also need to be considered to ensure employers can sustain higher operating costs.

“We are taking into account several segments and how implementation can be balanced so that we can continue to look after our workers while ensuring the sustainability of employers, particularly small businesses and MSMEs,” he told reporters after visiting the Kluang District Police headquarters yesterday.

He was asked to comment on economists’ views that raising the minimum wage to RM2,000 could lead to higher prices for goods and services.

He said the government was considering the different segments of employers in any adjustment to the minimum wage.

Anwar is scheduled to table Budget 2027 in Parliament on Oct 9.

On a separate matter, Akmal Nasrullah said the Federal Government had allocated RM127mil under Rolling Plan 1 of the 13th Malaysia Plan for the repair and maintenance of police quarters and stations nationwide.

He said the allocation included an additional RM5mil, bringing the total allocation to RM127mil from the original RM122mil, Bernama reported.

Of the total, RM44.35mil was allocated for the repair and maintenance of police stations, while RM77.65mil was allocated for the repair and maintenance of 3,716 police quarters nationwide.

For Kluang, he said RM3.7mil was allocated, including for upgrading 10 blocks of quarters and carrying out repair works at police stations in the Kluang district.

“This approach ensures development allocations are targeted at actual needs and have an impact on public service delivery,” he said.