KAJANG: Public funds must be safeguarded and managed, says the Prime Minister, warning that strict action would be taken against anyone who betrayed the trust placed in them.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that plugging leakages and tightening public financial management have given the government greater fiscal room to reduce taxes while increasing allocations for public assistance.
He said better governance and greater transparency had enabled the government to channel more funds towards the people without compromising the management of public finances.
“There are those who dispute how is it possible we can increase allocations when taxes are not raised.
“This is because there is no leakage, or misappropriation of funds or corruption. That is why we can help the people and that is our purpose,” he said at the closing of National Hawkers and Small Traders Day Carnival.
Anwar said allocations channelled to associations, hawkers, and small traders would help improve family incomes.
“If you ask if I am satisfied with the plight of hawkers, I am not. They make up the majority of the people and their lives are hard. They live hand-to-mouth. So we must find ways to increase their income.”
Anwar said agencies providing financing for entrepreneurship, including Tekun Nasional, Bank Rakyat and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia bore a major responsibility to ensure funds reached their intended beneficiaries without leakage or misappropriation.
“Manage these funds properly. This is money held in trust. If you breach that trust, you will be arrested and charged. Only then can we safeguard our country.”
The Prime Minister also pointed out that aid was rendered to all Malaysians regardless of their political affiliations or the states they lived in, dismissing accusations that opposition-led states were sidelined by the Federal Government.
Anwar cited the financial assistance extended to Kelantan, including the reinstatement of special aid for religious teachers and repairs to dilapidated pondok schools which saw financial allocations cease in 2003.
“When we took over in 2022, we felt that this was an unfair system and wanted to look after the people and provided assistance.
“Kelantan is governed by a different political party but the problems its people have are our problems, too,” he said.
The Prime Minister urged all parties not to defend abuses of power and corruption but to work together in upholding good values, morality and integrity for the country’s prosperity.
