'Budget 2015 must trim down overweight cabinet'
MalaysiaKini.com
Oct 12, 2014

Solidarity Anak Muda Malaysia's (SAMM) think tank has criticised the Federal government's bloated cabinet, resulting in its administration expenditure to increase.
 
Its director Ahmad Anwar Asyraf said the government should look at the size of the cabinet and trim it down.
 
“There are some portfolios in the Prime Minister's Department (PMD) and its agencies where there are duplication of duties and functions.
 
"If we cut down on the duplication, the administration expenditure would decrease,” he said in a statement.
 
Today it was reported that at RM19.1 billion in 2015, the PMD budget under Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is the highest compared to under Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi administrations.
 
The expenditure in 2003 was RM3.6 billion.

'Slight improvement'
 
SAMM, however, commended the 2015 budget for its incentives and programmes for youth, which it said showed a slight improvement compared with past years.
 
Ahmad Anwar said it welcomed the various housing schemes for youth as this would help them purchase homes utilising on a smart partnership between the government, banks and various agencies.
 
He also welcomed the various incentives introduced for youth including better financing through SME Bank and Agro Bank, and promoting activism by creating a volunteer force for youth.
 
He also said the improvement in public transportation in the Klang valley is also a good initiative but it should be expanded to all major cities and state capitals.
 
“We hope the government could provide further details on how they plan to improve public transportation in other state capitals and major towns throughout the country,” Ahmad Anwar, said, adding the government should emulate Japan by improving railway transportation which saw smaller towns prospering.
 
“The 2015 Budget is quite comprehensive but there is a need for the government to monitor its implementation to ensure targets are met,” he said.

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