KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that Budget 2023 should have the ability to mobilise all strength and energy to be translated into a new mindset, especially in abandoning waste and corrupt practices.
Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, called on political leaders, ministries’ top management and civil servants, as well as businessmen and members of the public, to embrace the fact that the country is capable of creating a shift which can be emulated by regional countries.
“Meanwhile, we must admit that waste and corrupt practices must be abandoned. Hence, I chose to present a budget framework based on the spirit of reform, with the intention of creating a new and fresh direction.
“…then buried the preconceived notion that we are still inclined to defend the status quo and the interests of the super-wealthy,” he said when presenting the Budget 2023 in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He added that this is because corrupt practices and embezzlement seem to be systematic, to the point of ruining (damaging) governance and even tarnishing the image of the country.
Anwar said that it can be seen based on the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which saw Malaysia continue to drop, to 61st place, compared with 29th place in 1998.
“The Auditor General’s Report for 2020 and 2021 revealed leakages of almost RM3 billion, including the loss of public money, leakages and irregular payments.
“For example, the issue of under-collection of vehicle import duty; the government has lost RM72 million due to the weak import duty collection process,” he said.
In addition, Anwar said that there were also leakages in the implementation of the diesel subsidy, with an estimate of almost RM10 billion worth of diesel subsidy being misappropriated last year.
“This shows various excesses which have a negative impact on the country. This must be stopped if we want the country to move forward bravely and gloriously.
“We decide the future of the country, whether it will slow down, elevate or be stuck, and it depends on our mindset,” he said.
The unity government, led by Anwar, presented Budget 2023, totalling RM388.1 billion, of which RM289.1 billion was allocated for operating expenditure and RM99 billion for developing expenditure, including RM2 billion for contingency savings. – BERNAMA
