Minister: 12th Malaysia Plan book prepared with 'small costs', not RM2b

 

The Prime Minister's Department today refuted a claim by opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim that Putrajaya spent some RM2 billion on foreign consultants to prepare its 12th Malaysia Plan.

Mustapa Mohamed, who is the minister in charge of the economy, said the plan, published in the form of a book, was prepared by a team of his officers in the Economic Planning Unit (EPU).

He said it involved "very small costs".

"For information, EPU has never spent RM2 billion to publish the 12th Malaysia Plan book as claimed by Anwar.

"The five-year plan for the country's development was prepared by EPU officers under my supervision, based on input collected from engagements with many stakeholders.

"The preparation for this book only involved a very small amount of costs for the engagement sessions, printing, and media consultation," he said.

The Jeli MP said he hoped Anwar can correct his statement to avoid negative perceptions cast on EPU officers and the government.

Anwar reportedly alleged in the Dewan Rakyat today that the federal government used more than RM2 billion to come up with the book, which was presented in the Parliament on Monday. - Mkini