Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government could save up to RM10 billion by addressing leakage in the procurement system. He emphasized the importance of eliminating corruption at all levels to achieve this goal. He also called for changes to the old ways of doing things and an end to political interference in order to protect the interests of businessmen in government procurement.
As the finance minister, Anwar stated that he had already identified RM3 billion to RM4 billion in savings within just two months at the finance ministry. He made these statements during the 2023 Budget Dialogue Council in Putrajaya, where he was joined by Deputy Finance Ministers Ahmad Maslan and Steven Sim Chee Keong, Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali, and deputy treasury secretary-general (policy) Johan Mahmood Merican.
Anwar explained that leakage in procurement can happen through overpriced contracts, kickbacks, and fraud. He believes that by entrusting procurement matters to parties capable of dealing with issues such as floods, the process will become more efficient and transparent, thus reducing leakage.
He also stressed that the 2023 budget should focus on restoring the confidence of domestic and foreign investors and expediting the approval of investments. He cited examples of proposals taking years to be approved and called for greater accountability from heads of departments in the event of delays. He wants to ensure that the approval process is faster, so that projects can be completed on time and the heads of departments should be held fully accountable in case of delays and face action for affecting the national economy.
The revised budget for 2023 will be presented in Parliament on February 24th. The budget will include measures to plug the leakage in the procurement system and to boost the confidence of domestic and foreign investors.
