PUTRAJAYA, Aug 6 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wants Budget 2025, which will be presented on October 18 in the Dewan Rakyat, to focus on lowering living costs.
Anwar, also finance minister, emphasised that cost of living issues are a pressing concern for the public, and it is the government’s duty to alleviate this burden.
“Even though I can say that our sugar, oil, flour and cooking oil are among the cheapest, Malaysians still feel the strain.
“Therefore, this budget will not only address the issues we have been discussing, but will also tackle the problems posed by cartels, monopolies and factors driving up prices. We must address all these issues,” he said during his speech at the Finance Ministry monthly assembly today.
Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying and Treasury secretary-general Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican were also present.
Anwar highlighted the importance of cross-ministerial efforts led by the Finance Ministry to devise strategies to reduce the cost of living. He pointed out that rising costs are exacerbated by issues such as leakage, corruption, smuggling and cartels.
“Your experience in the Finance Ministry, whether in enforcement or policy planning, is crucial. We must consider all possible methods to lower costs.
“These cost increases are driven, among other factors, by leakages, corruption, smuggling and excessive profits from cartels,” he added.
— Bernama
