PETALING JAYA: True to form, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim brought a literary flair to his Budget speech, seamlessly blending classical Tamil and Chinese philosophy with the timeless words of Greek poet Homer.
The Prime Minister quoted the Tirukkural by Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar and the Shangtang Kaishi Song from the Tang dynasty. Referencing Homer’s The Odyssey, he noted that this Budget was not a destination but a step closer to Ithaca.
“In The Odyssey, the ancient Greek poet Homer tells of Odysseus, commander and veteran of the Trojan War, who braved seas and storms, temptation and turmoil, yet never lost the one thing that mattered most: his pure and unwavering memory of Ithaca. That is where a journey finds its meaning. Not in how far one wanders, but in the resolve never to lose one’s way, nor one’s reason for travelling,” he said.
“So it is with nations, and the lives lived within them. We may walk many roads, forge many triumphs, raise grand towers and gleaming landmarks, master new technologies and open new frontiers.
“But in the end, every nation must know its Ithaca: the ambition it seeks, the values and roots it will defend, and the legacy it means to leave.”
“This Budget, then, is not the destination. It is one more step towards Ithaca.”
There was also a splash of the colour blue in the Dewan Rakyat as several MPs and ministers from Pakatan Harapan showed up in light blue outfits which matched the Prime Minister’s baju Melayu.
Several Barisan Nasional ministers, on the other hand, were dressed in the blue to match the shade of the flag of their coalition.
Anwar said the Budget was a national covenant for the future generations.
As with previous years, Anwar’s speech was again centred around reforms.
He said the government is studying the establishment of a Malaysian Law Reform Commission to identify outdated laws and gaps in legislation.
“Laws on contracts, the sale of goods and mediation are also being reviewed to enable disputes to be resolved more quickly,” he said.
He added that bold reforms undertaken by the government had also started bearing fruit.
“The Madani Economic Framework was introduced alongside policies designed to drive economic growth and ensure a more equitable distribution of its benefits, including the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP), the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) and the Bumiputera Economic Transformation Plan (Putera35),” he said.
“Only the Madani government has had the resolve to implement targeted subsidies. This is because subsidies are a privilege intended for the people, yet they have long suffered from leakages to foreign nationals and large corporations.”
He said the Budi Madani programme was a national achievement that contributed towards a sound fiscal management while at the same time lowering prices for the people.
“The results speak for themselves. Fuel subsidy funds that were previously lost through leakages have been redirected to double the assistance provided to the people, from RM8bil in 2022 to RM15bil for Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) combined this year,” he said.
“Consider, too, the consequences had we continued to delay subsidy targeting amid the current energy crisis. The financial burden we would have had to bear would undoubtedly have been far greater than RM40bil.”
