PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Najib Razak has criticised the government for slashing allocations to certain ministries, including the 73% reduction in Mara’s budget.
In a Facebook post, Najib said after studying Budget 2019 more closely, he found that the allocations for the rural and regional ministry, agriculture and agro-based industry ministry and the primary industries ministry have been cut substantially.
He said the 73% reduction in Mara’s budget from RM3.5 billion in 2018 to RM1.3 billion in 2019 had contributed to the over RM2.3 billion reduction in the rural and regional ministry’s allocation.
Najib said budgets cuts to the primary industries ministry saw a programme to help rubber smallholders abolished altogether.
He said previously, RM261 million was allocated to help rubber smallholders during the monsoon season as their incomes would be affected by the bad weather.
“Next year, they can no longer rely on this assistance.”
Najib also said various assistance provided under the agriculture and agro-based industry ministry had either been reduced or abolished, from 50% cuts to paddy fertiliser subsidies and paddy production incentives to the abolishment of hill paddy subsidies.
“Perhaps rural folk, the agriculture and plantation sectors are no longer important to the new Malaysia?
“Even though Petronas has been forced to fork out RM54 billion for this year and 2019, it is as if these people have been overlooked.” - FMT
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