PUTRAJAYA – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim warned today that the government cannot continuously increase public spending without strict fiscal discipline, particularly as national subsidy costs remain a heavy financial burden.
Speaking at the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities monthly assembly, Anwar stated that the administration must break away from the habit of addressing every issue simply by injecting more funds, pointing out that national subsidies have already reached RM40 billion.
“There must be higher discipline in managing public expenditure, and we cannot keep responding to every problem by merely adding allocations, especially when subsidy costs remain high,” Anwar said.
He questioned the sustainability of the nation’s current spending trajectory if allocations continue to rise unchecked against the backdrop of limited state financial capacities.
The Prime Minister stressed that the primary duty of the government is to ensure every ringgit of public funds yields measurable outcomes and tangible benefits for the populace.
The remarks come amid rising expenditure demands from various ministries, even as the administration grapples with massive fiscal outlays for direct subsidies, including the recent expansion of the Budi Madani RON95 quota limit to 300 liters monthly for over 16 million users.
Anwar acknowledged that households continue to face high living costs, noting that targeted assistance and fiscal balancing will form the core focus of the upcoming Budget 2027 preparations. -MalayaDailyToday
