KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — The National Recovery Plan (NRP) and its supporting measures will give Malaysia the opportunity to rebuild its economy strongly following the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, said Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
In his keynote at the National Recovery Summit today, he reiterated that the NRP gave Malaysia both a strategy for exiting the pandemic and tactics on how to achieve this.
“Under the NRP, effective execution is made key and adapted based on current local scenarios. Updates are based on current needs supported by the most recent data, especially those based on science.
“The NRP is also inclusive, based on a whole-of-nation approach. The National Recovery Council, a coordinating body under the NRP, has representatives comprising the state governments of Sabah and Sarawak as well as industry experts and NGOs to share their
expertise on various aspects of the NRP.
“Just as it is critical for us to exit this pandemic safely and systematically, it is equally critical that we build back better,’’ he said.
The minister said these principles would feature strongly in Budget 2022.
Tengku Zafrul also said the government will look at helping the sectors most affected by the pandemic.
“In maintaining livelihoods, the government has introduced eight assistance packages in addition to Budget 2021. All in, over RM260 billion has been disbursed as at end-July, benefiting over 20 million rakyat and 2.4 million businesses, with approximately RM300 billion left to be spent this year.
“This includes a further RM10 billion which will be disbursed of not only direct aid for
B40s and M40s but also targeted assistance for gig workers, the hardcore poor, the unemployed, as well as increased support for mental health issues,” he said.
