BATU CAVES, Jan 24 — The Cabinets special infrastructure envoy Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu defended his position today as the necessary bridge between skilled but jobless Malaysian construction specialists and prospective recruiters in India and South Asia where a construction boom is taking place.

The former MIC president said that his 28-year run as works minister had managed to bring Malaysia’s construction expertise to the world stage, and equated getting rid of his position with calling for an end to such opportunities.

“This country is so specialised in construction. I was the minister of construction for 28 years, and now we know the whole world wants us to go and help them. They will pay for it, you don’t want that?” he asked in a news conference here.

“We have hundreds of contractors here who have got no jobs,” he added.

He was responding to Malay rights group Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali who wants the government to remove its current advisers and special envoys with ministerial rank as part of efforts to cut spending as part of its Budget 2016 revision.

Ibrahim told a news conference last week that such roles were not necessary and urged the government to lead by example when asking the people to tighten their belts, by removing its special envoys and advisers.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is expected to announce the revised Budget 2016 on January 28.

Najib announced a RM267 billion budget for 2016 in October, RM7 billion less than what his administration allocated for the previous year.

At the time of Budget 2016’s unveiling, oil price was hovering around US$40 a barrel and Putrajaya had based its projections on a US$48/barrel price.

It has since dropped to under US$30 a barrel.