ALL ministries and government agencies must spend according to their allocated budgets, said Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
"In the public service, you have to spend as budgeted (allocated)," he said briefly when met by reporters today.
He said this when asked about the issue between the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) that is currently under dispute.
However, he refused to comment further on the statements issued by the parties involved and suggested that the matter be referred to the MoF.
“That is something you have to ask Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Johan Mahmood Merican,” he said.
Last Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi expressed his disappointment over the delay in payments to contractors implementing development projects, which has affected the continuity of operations.
Ahmad Zahid said several contractors had implemented the work and achieved the progress set out in the development contract, including the Rural Roads (JALB) project, but were facing delays in receiving payments.
Johan, in a statement, said there were no restrictions on the KKDW allocations for rural road projects, and that they had been fully channelled by the MoF.
Johan explained that the constraints in the payment process to contractors arose because the current year’s allocation had already been almost fully spent by the KKDW.
According to MoF records, since 2023, KKDW expenditure exceeded the actual allocation of RM1.8 billion (expenditure) compared to RM1.1 billion (allocation) followed by RM2 billion expenditure exceeding RM1.3 billion (2024) and RM2.3 billion compared to RM1.6 billion (2025).
For this year, as of the latest, KKDW expenditure is at RM1.9 billion compared to the actual allocation of RM2.1 billion. – September 3, 2026
