PUTRAJAYA – Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told government officers that they can no longer live in a culture of contentment, seeing that the national debt including its liabilities has hit RM1.5 trillion.
The prime minister stressed that the government cannot look at things from a “business-as-usual” perspective and must be honest and transparent with the public about the national and global economic situation.
“My approach on economy is different from mine on politics. It must be based on numbers, data, and facts. We cannot lull the public’s minds without looking at reality. What is the reality?
“The reality is that the economic situation has not subsided. It is still gloomy, and this has ties to international and global development such as the Russia-Ukraine war and Covid-19 post pandemic. Even the International Monetary Fund keeps on revising the economy on a downward trend.
“This is our challenge and one of our problems is that the national debt has hit nearly RM1.2 trillion. If we include our liabilities, it’s already RM1.5 trillion,” said Anwar.
He called upon economic leaders, entrepreneurs, and government officials not to sit on their laurels and be comfortable with the current situation.
His plans to protect government finances include improving military procurements of weapons and equipment under the Defense Ministry to ensure no political or private business interference.
Anwar pointed out that if the procurement system has been refined, Putrajaya could easily save up to RM3 to RM4 billion at the bare minimum or RM10 billion at the highest level. – The Vibes, January 17, 2023
Additional reporting by Fitri Nizam
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