DAP MP Chong Zhemin has accused the political secretary to Rural and Regional Development Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of shifting the basis of comparison in the dispute over the ministry’s rural roads programme.
In a statement today, Chong (above) said Razlan Rafii's defence of Zahid confirmed figures cited by DAP veteran Lim Guan Eng and Treasury secretary-general Johan Mahmood Merican.
Chong highlighted that Johan had compared the annual allocation for the programme with the actual expenditure, while Razlan's comparison was based on a subsequently revised allocation.
“Both may be factually correct, but the revised allocation does not explain how, when, and from where the additional funds were obtained,” he stated.
Chong also called on Parliament's Public Accounts Committee and the auditor-general to probe the Rural and Regional Development Ministry's funding disbursements issue if Zahid fails to provide a full explanation of the matter.
Yesterday, Razlan said Lim, a former finance minister, had misunderstood government budget allocations and expenditure.
Taking to Facebook, he said the roughly RM1 billion figure cited by Lim was for the rural roads programme's annual allocation, rather than the total value of approved multi-year projects.
He also said after internal budget adjustments, the programme’s actual spending in 2023, 2024, and 2025 remained within the revised allocations.
As for the adjustments, Razlan stated that it was made through approved internal allocation transfers, or NOCs, to meet existing commitments and did not amount to unauthorised overspending.
READ MORE: Funding spat brews between Zahid's and Anwar's ministries
Revised allocations
Commenting further, Chong said Razlan's figures showed that the rural roads programme's original allocation of about RM1.1 billion in 2023 was revised to RM1.85 billion, against actual expenditure of about RM1.84 billion.
In 2024, the original allocation of about RM1.3 billion was revised to RM2.02 billion, with actual expenditure at about RM2 billion.
For 2025, the original allocation of about RM1.6 billion was revised to RM2.27 billion, with actual expenditure also at about RM2.27 billion.
Chong said the figures represented a cumulative increase of about RM2.14 billion in programme allocations over the three years.
While the expenditure did not exceed the final revised allocation, the lawmaker said it still did not address the key issue of how the additional funds were secured.
"Razlan must explain where the additional RM2.14 billion came from, when each adjustment was approved, which authority approved it and whether approval was obtained before or after the Rural and Regional Development Ministry entered into the relevant commitments,” he said.
Chong also said his review found no direct supplementary allocation under the ministry’s accounting codes from 2023 to 2025, while Parliament had yet to approve a Supplementary Supply Bill for 2026 as of Sept 5.
‘Not necessarily unlawful’
However, he acknowledged that this did not automatically mean the adjustments were unlawful.
“But these mechanisms must be supported by proper approvals and records,” he stressed.
Chong said the fact that development projects could span several years did not remove the need for proper annual budgeting.
He also pointed to the Finance Ministry’s disclosure that it had approved an additional RM300 million for 2026 and was identifying savings from other ministries to cover the Rural and Regional Development Ministry’s excess commitments.
“This is not evidence that there was no problem. It shows that the Finance Ministry is now required to find additional funds to address the consequences of Rural and Regional Development Ministry’s commitments,” he said.
He also said transparency was necessary because public funds were involved, stressing did not amount to an accusation against the contractors.
“If Razlan believes that the Treasury secretary-general’s figures are wrong, he should obtain an official written correction from the Finance Ministry.
“Until the Finance Ministry withdraws or corrects its statement, Razlan cannot dismiss official Treasury figures merely by attacking the qualifications of a former finance minister (Lim),” he said, adding that personal attacks and ministry performance awards could not replace financial records.
Frustrated Zahid, livid Guan Eng
On Monday, Zahid publicly aired frustrations about funding disbursements, which fall under the Finance Ministry, which is helmed by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The deputy prime minister urged the Finance Ministry to expedite funding disbursements, saying contractors who had completed projects were still waiting for payment and some had been forced out of business because of cash-flow problems.
However, Johan disputed the claim, saying the allocation for rural roads had already been fully disbursed and was not subject to any sanctions.
Johan also said Zahid’s ministry had a history of exceeding its budget, with the Finance Ministry having to identify savings from other ministries to cover the additional spending.
This led to attacks from Lim, who urged action against Zahid for overspending and warned that such practices could undermine the country’s financial stability. - Mkini
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