By Athira ABD Latiff
KUALA LUMPUR, 24 February 2023: The government is devoted to safeguarding the citizens sustenance by upholding a holistic approach that involves integrating human well-being with economic progress.
Aligned with the principles of Karamah Insaniah (honor and dignity of man) and the six fundamental values of Madani (civil), Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is devoted to shaping the destiny of the country and achieving its complete capabilities.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, announced in the Budget 2023 at Dewan Rakyat today that the six fundamental values of Madani consist of sustainability, prosperity, innovation, respect, trust, and finally, care and compassion.
œBudget 2023 will center on the issue of high living cost, fortify the social safety network, and enhance the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) ecosystem, Anwar stated.
To uphold ˜sustainability, the government is providing incentives and subsidies to the agriculture and fisheries industry and implementing initiatives to improve food supply, including high-tech agricultural produce for agro-food operators.
œMeanwhile, the ˜prosperity core enables the government to explore a higher minimum wage rate based on the current median wage or poverty line income levels, while also improving national security and defense through border control upgrades, he emphasised.
This enhances the countrys ˜innovation to accelerate the adoption of digitalisation and cyber security measures in line with the 5G rollout.
Thus, granting the ˜respect core to improve the œsocio-economic status of vulnerable communities and increase the involvement of bumiputras in socio-economic activities, Anwar added.
The ˜trust core value will focus on strengthening good governance and enhancing transparency, integrity, efficiency, and accountability in government institutions.
Finally, the ˜care and compassion core value will involve reducing the financial burden of vulnerable groups, such as the poor, disabled, and elderly, by increasing the supply of affordable housing, improving access to healthcare and education, and implementing programs to increase household income.
Themed ˜Developing Malaysia Madani, the tabling of Budget 2023 today saw the revised allocation of budget to RM386.14 billion from RM372.3 billion in October 2022.***