PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has told the government to reduce unnecessary delays to Budget 2027’s implementation to ensure that Malaysians benefit from the announced policies and allocations.
He said the budget's effectiveness depended not only on sound planning and policy announcements but also on the government's ability to deliver initiatives efficiently, responsibly and on schedule.
"A budget can be drawn up, but the real challenge lies in its implementation," he said at the Finance Ministry's monthly assembly here on Monday (Oct 19).
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, thanked ministry officials for their efforts in preparing Budget 2027, stressing that economic and institutional reforms required commitment and the courage to act.
He said the government had introduced reforms, including targeted subsidies and stronger governance, to improve fiscal management and ensure more efficient use of public resources.
The Prime Minister described subsidy rationalisation as one of the most challenging economic measures, requiring political courage and administrative support to curb leakages and wastage.
Anwar also warned civil servants against unreasonable delays in carrying out government decisions.
"If salaries have increased, fuel prices have fallen, and the economy has improved, yet we remain ungrateful and continue working slowly, taking two weeks to reply to a letter that could be answered in a day, we are creating problems for the country," he said.
He cited several initiatives that demonstrated how government decisions could be implemented quickly through effective coordination among ministries and agencies.
These included registration for Rumah Madani housing in Bandar Madani, Bukit Jalil, and the RM1,000 financial assistance for taxi drivers.
Anwar also urged the relevant authorities to expedite approvals for the construction of 10,000 student accommodation units at Universiti Malaya.
He said Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar would meet ministry secretaries-general and directors-general to monitor the implementation of government initiatives.
On Oct 9, Anwar tabled Budget 2027, themed "Reaching for the Skies, While Anchored on Our Values", with allocations totalling RM459.8bil.
The Budget also outlined RM25bil in investments by government-linked investment companies (GLICs), RM11bil in public-private investments and RM14.2bil from federal statutory bodies and Minister of Finance Incorporated companies. - Bernama
