KUALA LUMPUR – Not a politician and not keen to become one, banker-turned-finance minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz is steadfast in wanting to remain a technocrat and ensure lives and livelihoods are safeguarded amid the pandemic.
“I am not interested in joining any political party. As you know, I am not a member of any right now,” he told Bernama in an interview, when asked if he will eventually join politics and become an elected representative.
There is a lot of work to be done to shore up the economy, and this is the primary focus at present, he said.
“I want to focus on how I think I can help towards Malaysia’s fight against Covid-19 and improve our economic standing. So, my focus is on the economy.
“I am not interested, for now, in joining any political party.”
Malaysia’s economy showed signs of recovery with a contraction of -2.7% in the third quarter, compared with -17.1% in the second quarter, when it bore the brunt of the seven-week movement control order (MCO) that was imposed on March 18 to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Tengku Zafrul was sworn in as senator on March 10 following his appointment as finance minister.
The government eased MCO restrictions on May 4, and businesses were allowed to resume operations according to sector, with strict standard operating procedures in place. Following this, the unemployment rate declined to 4.6% in September from 5.3% in May.
Several stimulus packages were announced by the government, namely Prihatin, Prihatin SME+, Penjana and Kita Prihatin, totalling RM305 billion, to ease the burden on citizens and businesses.
Tengku Zafrul received brickbats when he announced several new initiatives during his Budget 2021 winding-up speech.
In a Facebook post later, he said the initiatives were not his suggestions, but those of lawmakers themselves in the course of parliamentary debates.
“All the improvements that were announced were the outcome of proposals from the MPs themselves – be it from the government or opposition.
“For example, the proposal to extend the one-off special grant to frontliners recognised under the National Disaster Management Agency was raised by, among others, YB Pontian, YB Ipoh Barat, YB Hulu Rajang and YB Lembah Pantai – all from different political parties.”
The decision to extend the aid was made after taking into account lawmakers’ arguments, including the third coronavirus wave and the implementation of the conditional MCO in several states.
The same goes for the eBelia aid increase, from RM50 to RM100, and expansion to cover 1.1 million tertiary students.
“But, I have a confession – the government is not able to accept or implement all the proposals raised,” said Tengku Zafrul.
“Like I said during the winding-up debate, the government’s role is always to balance the various interests – both in terms of cost implication, to ensure that the recipients really need the aid, (and) the implication for the market or Treasury ecosystem rating. I admit, it is not an easy balancing act.”
Nonetheless, he said, when collisions between interests occur, Putrajaya always prioritises the people’s welfare, with no compromise on the matter. – Bernama, November 29, 2020
