ISKANDAR PUTERI – The federal government has been asked to consider a bigger allocation under Budget 2023 so that more economic activities can be revitalised, helping the people.
Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said this is because 2023 is a most challenging year, not only for the local economy and people, but also globally.
“At the same time, I want to state that this year is not a year to chase a positive budget. I'm sorry. This year is a challenging year… depletion, recession throughout the world, and the Russia-Ukraine war.
“(There are) economic implications on the country. The prices of goods are rising. My recommendation is that measures to achieve a positive budget this year may have to wait a bit. Next year may be a better year,” he said in his speech during the state-level Budget 2023 Dialogue Council in Kota Iskandar here today.
Also present were Deputy Finance Minister I Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan and Johor State Secretary Tan Sri Dr Azmi Rohani.
At a press conference, Onn Hafiz said the state government was of the view that if Budget 2023 is reduced from the budget tabled previously, this would also have a lower-level impact, specifically for Johor.
“We are worried that the budget may be cut and be smaller than the previous one. If this happens, there will be domino effects on development as Johor has asked for many things.
“There are almost 11 things that we have asked for. We hope the applications will be considered for the development and well-being of the people,” he said.
Johor has asked for several main projects, including an increase to the lanes on the Yong Peng-Skudai stretch of the North-South Expressway from four to six, the construction of Sultanah Aminah Hospital 2, a flood mitigation project, and upgrades to schools in the state.
Besides that, the state government has also applied for the federal government to consider its effort to reduce congestion at the Johor-Singapore border. – Bernama, February 6, 2023
