IPOH, April 15 — Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said the state government will study whether there is a need to table a supplementary budget following concerns over the escalating West Asia conflict.
Saarani said the matter had been discussed during last week’s State Executive Council meeting, where a comprehensive review is currently being carried out to identify the most effective course of action.
“At the moment, we are carefully reviewing all these requirements to ensure that when a decision is made, it will address multiple issues simultaneously,” he told the State Legislative Assembly today.
He was responding to an additional question from Kepayang assemblyman Nga Kor Ming, who asked whether the state government is prepared to table a supplementary budget in light of the global crisis.
Saarani said the state government has extensive experience in managing past global crises.
“We have experience in managing global crises, such as during the Covid-19 pandemic. In my view, the Covid-19 crisis was far more severe than the current situation, as almost everything was shut down at that time.
“During that period, we did not table a supplementary budget but instead realigned the existing budget accordingly,” he said.
However, he did not rule out the possibility of tabling a supplementary budget if the situation worsens and requires additional expenditure, including convening a special sitting if necessary.
“If the situation becomes critical and demands higher expenditure, we will review it carefully and, if needed, convene a special sitting to table a supplementary budget,” he added.
Saarani also the state government will continue to support vulnerable groups affected by economic pressures while also strengthening welfare assistance for M40 and B40 households, in addition to existing federal aid.
“At the state level, we are committed to ensuring that the people are not impacted to the extent of facing shortages of essential food supplies.
“Under the Perak Sejahtera 2030 plan, food security has been prioritised as one of the key agendas,” he added.
