Simplifying procedures to speed up infrastructure projects

The government will simplify procedures to speed up people's infrastructure projects so that issues such as dilapidated schools and clinics do not continue to drag on, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said that this year the government will carry out repair work on 400 dilapidated clinics identified by the Health Ministry, and a total of 380 schools in poor condition which have been identified by the Education Ministry, with an allocation of RM1.2 billion.

“We will give some flexibility regarding the quotation limit for the procurement (of repair work) even though there is a tender process, but it will be expedited so that we can expect these schools to be ready for our children before the end of the year,” he said when tabling the Budget 2023 in the Dewan Rakyat, today.

In addition, Anwar said that the government will provide RM2.7 billion to maintain and upgrade federal roads and to carry out minor maintenance, with RM300 million to be allocated specifically for G1 to G4 contractors.

“(A sum of) RM1.5 billion is also provided to upgrade and build new interior and rural roads," he said.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said that the government will introduce a new method for district officers, and residents in Sarawak, which is to empower district officers and engineers to carry out repair works on potholes and minor problems immediately, without obtaining the views of other departments.

“(An amount of) RM50 million is allocated to immediately install street lights, especially in accident-prone areas,” he said.

Anwar said the grant of the Malaysian Road Record Information System (MARRIS) for all state governments is also increased to RM5.2 billion.

- Bernama