Job, income recovery a focus area in Budget 2022, Tengku Zafrul says

KUALA LUMPUR – The government will specifically look into job and income recovery in Budget 2022, in addition to strengthening social protections through focused assistance in an effort to build socio-economic resilience.

At a virtual session of a Budget 2022 consultation session, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz highlighted Putrajaya’s focus on structural reforms, including closer collaboration with civil society organisations as the government’s delivery partner to achieve the goals outlined in the National Recovery Plan and next year’s spending plan.

This is in line with the government’s longer-term aspirations as stated in the 12th Malaysia Plan and Shared Prosperity Vision 2030. 

“The government remains committed to helping those in need, particularly the rakyat who are still affected by the Covid-19 crisis,” said Tengku Zafrul in a statement.

“We are keen to hear how we can reach out to segments of society in ways that are more effective, innovative and customised to the specific needs of communities.”

The consultation, organised by Yayasan Hasanah, the foundation of Khazanah Nasional Bhd, saw the participation of the finance minister and representatives of civil groups and social enterprises, and was aimed at outlining key recommendations to strengthen the delivery of social assistance programmes.

Civil groups have been identified as the government’s key development partners to enable faster and more sustainable socio-economic recovery.

In the statement, Yayasan Hasanah said the past 18 months have shown the critical role played by grassroots organisations, including civil groups, which have come together to complement Putrajaya’s efforts to respond in a timely manner.

During the consultation, Yayasan Hasanah managing director Datuk Shahira Ahmed Bazari made three recommendations to support and catalyse social impact, including longer-term organisational development support to build regional and global civil organisations that can deliver quality and impactful programmes at scale.

She said there is an urgent need for a more dynamic, up-to-date and customised database system to minimise gaps in welfare programmes, as well as structural reforms through tax support and incentives for social enterprises, civil society and donors. – Bernama, September 7, 2021