Austerity drive: Gov't to defer, cancel new projects - Mustapa

KOTA BHARU: The government is taking measures to save public expenditure by postponing or not continuing any project that has yet to commence, to enable money to be channelled for the welfare of the people, apart from efforts toward the country's economic recovery.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Economy), Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, said that the move was in response to a directive issued via the Malaysia Treasury Circular - Guidelines on Public Expenditure Savings.

"I have held meetings with the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) on the financial position, to see the projects that have yet to commence.

"Hence, if it (project) is just about to start, there is no need to continue, while if something has already started, we will discuss which developments we need, either to defer or cancel," he said.

He said this to reporters after the closing ceremony of the Labour Market Seminar, and the Presentation of the findings of the state Outreach Job Seeker Profiling 2022, in conjunction with the Keluarga Malaysia Career Carnival at Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, here today.

Also present were the Social Security Organisation (Socso) Employment Information Analysis Services (EIAS) Division head, Ummar Jai Kumar Abdullah, and the Kelantan Socso general manager, Nora Yaacob.

On Friday (July 15), the media reported that all ministries, departments, agencies, federal statutory bodies and companies limited by guarantee (CLBG) were instructed, via the Malaysia Treasury Circular, to implement internal austerity measures by optimising expenditure.

-- BERNAMA