ISKANDAR PUTERI – Deputy Finance Minister I Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah today confirmed that Budget 2023 will be tabled on October 28 as scheduled in Parliament’s calendar.
“The date of (the presentation) of Budget 2023 has been announced, which is on October 28, 2022 according to the Dewan Rakyat calendar, which is public knowledge,” he emphasised.
“I don’t have the information (on the presentation being brought forward to next month). So far, it remains (on October 28),” he told reporters after witnessing a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony between Futurise Sdn Bhd and Iskandar Investment Bhd Ventures (IIBV) to develop drone sports at Medini Iskandar Malaysia here, today.
Futurise was represented by its CEO Rosihan Zain Baharudin and IIBV by its managing director Zulfiqar Zainuddin.
Shahar was commenting on a report by a news portal claiming that Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz would present Budget 2023 earlier to make way for the 15th general election.
Meanwhile, commenting on several consumer associations’ insistence that Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) establish a special team to investigate banks in relation to the loss of savings by customers, Shahar said financial institutions need to be held accountable if the losses are due to the banks’ negligence.
He said that BNM is actively monitoring the issue, which is currently in focus. The matter was also raised and addressed several times in previous Dewan Rakyat sessions.
“Those who feel they have been short-changed may report to police or the respective banks as this is the existing procedure. The government will certainly instruct the financial institutions to check if they have been negligent and if so, they have to be responsible,” he said.
The media reported last Tuesday that consumer associations had urged banks to reimburse customers due to weaknesses in their security systems. – Bernama, August 25, 2022
