Budget 2021 includes focus on sustainability agenda - Muhyiddin

Describing the COVID-19 pandemic as a wake-up call for the world, Muhyiddin said Malaysia, just like any other countries, needed to rethink its development agenda particularly in regards to sustainability and green technology, which played a vital role in driving the economy.

He admitted that it was hard to find positives amidst the wreckage of COVID-19, but as an ardent optimist, the prime minister said he was sure that there would be a silver lining.

"Lockdowns across the world made us reflect, made us think and we started to realise that we need to change our ways. We need to rethink our relationship with the planet and we need to build back better. Due to all of us being at home, we also noticed we had better air quality and mother earth had time to reinvigorate.

“But this was short-lived as we went back to our old ways once the lockdowns were lifted. But the lesson is, there is a promising path of green recovery as we wade through this pandemic,” he said in his speech before opening the International Greentech and Eco-products Exhibition and Conference 2020 (IGEM), organised virtually, today.