Budget 2024: Gov’t provides allocation for institutional, legal reform, says Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: The Unity Government, through the Madani Malaysia Budget 2024 has also provided allocation to implement the institutional and legal reform agenda as an effort to end the people’s suffering, eradicate corrupt practices as well as reduce bureaucracy and develop a stable political system.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Special Task Force on Agency Reform (STAR), which was chaired by the Chief Secretary to the Government, managed to expedite the implementation of projects, especially involving overcrowding in hospitals and the improvement of dilapidated schools and clinics.

As such, for next year, Anwar announced that the STAR team had been tasked with expediting the implementation of lift maintenance projects with an allocation of RM91mil and the maintenance of government quarters with RM170mil.

“A total of RM2.4bil is allocated for the construction, maintenance and repair of quarters housing civil servants, teachers as well as hospital, police, military and fire department personnel,” he said when tabling the Madani Malaysia Budget 2024 in the Dewan Rakyat on Friday (Oct 13).

This was the second budget to be tabled by the unity government led by Anwar, who was also the Finance Minister.

In addition, the Prime Minister said that after the passing of the Public Finance and Fiscal Responsibility Bill 2023, the unity government was now committed to tabling the Government Procurement Bill next year.

Anwar also announced an allocation of RM18mil to launch legal reforms, including preparation for the Alternative Punishment for the Mandatory Death Penalty Bill.

The Prime Minister said the government would allocate RM38mil for the judiciary to increase the productivity of the country’s judiciary, with the allocation covering priority for repairing infrastructure and outdated and damaged court information and communication technologies (ICT) facilities.

“This includes RM20mil to empower the Judicial Academy Malaysia and Malaysia Syariah Judiciary Academy in training higher court judges more systematically and effectively,” he said.

In addition, in efforts on public institutional reforms, based on studies carried out to further improve revenue sustainability, social protection, governance of government-linked companies (GLCs) and national management, the government would implement several recommendations, including improving the imposition of stamp duty and coordinating the administration of tax incentives to reduce revenue collection reduce leakage.

“Strengthening tax administration, including simplifying tax returns and centralising tax collection efforts, expanding social protection system coverage involving senior citizens and the informal sector as well as restructuring development finance institutions (DFIs) through the merger of Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad, SME Bank and Exim Bank.

“Empowering the venture capital environment through centralising the venture capital agencies like Penjana Kapital and Mavcap under Khazanah Nasional Berhad,” he said. – BK