KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng will be issuing a warrant to halt the flow of some RM3 billion of unused funds to several old ministries up to July 1, and to channel them for use in public programmes under the new ministries revamped by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
With programmes such as the National Service (PLKN) and National Civics Bureau (BTN) that had been discontinued and with the inception of the Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development and Economic Affairs Ministries, Lim said, it was only wise for these funds to be allocated accordingly.
“What is happening now is the reshuffling of these programmes according to its allocation and ministries,” he said in the second reading of the supplementary Bill 2018 at the Dewan Negara.
Lim proposed for RM1.2 billion to be channelled to the Ministry of Economic Affairs to bear the costs of programmes for the Bumiputera community, such as Teraju and Mara.
Lim pointed that the Economic Affairs Ministry was also shouldering some responsibilities from the Prime Minister’s Department, Treasury, Rural Development Ministry and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry under the new Pakatan Harapan administration.
Based on Lim’s suggestion, the Rural Development Ministry will receive the lowest allocation of just RM8.7 million to bear the costs of its programmes.
