KUALA LUMPUR – Putrajaya has spent a total of RM7.4 million promoting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s (Tambun-PH) Malaysia Madani agenda.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (Papar-GRS) said that most of the funds utilised were sourced from government allocations unused by Anwar’s predecessor, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Bera-BN).
“A majority of the (RM7.4 million) spending, especially costs to install billboards, was from allocations to the previous government,” he said in a written parliamentary reply yesterday.
He noted that the total amount of funds allocated to advancing Ismail Sabri’s Keluarga Malaysia branding had been RM62 million.
Armizan also said that efforts to promote the Malaysia Madani concept have been implemented by all ministries, including government departments and agencies, through various suitable platforms and mediums.
“This initiative is important to increase the people’s appreciation and understanding of the government’s current aspirations and policies,” he added.
In February, Armizan said that as of January 30, Anwar’s government, which was formed in November after the general election, had forked out RM489,216 to fund the Malaysia Madani agenda, which was launched on January 18.
He had then drawn comparisons with the costs of the Keluarga Malaysia branding as well as former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s (Pagoh-PN) Kerajaan Prihatin concept, which cost RM181,752.
Ismail Sabri’s administration lasted 14 months, a slightly shorter tenure than his predecessor Muhyiddin, who was head of government for 17 months from March 2020. – The Vibes, May 26, 2023