CYBERJAYA, Sept 7 — The Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) will strictly adhere to government-approved financial allocations and will not spend beyond its approved budget, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Rural and Regional Development Minister, clarified that ministry expenditure remains strictly tied to allocations announced during the national budget tabling or formally approved by the government. He made these remarks when opening the Strategic Collaboration Workshop between Rural Community Centres (PKD) and National Information Dissemination Centres (NADI).
“What has been spent indirectly answers the question raised by KSP (Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Johan Mahmood Merican). No ministry can spend beyond what was stated in the budget speech or the approved allocation,” Ahmad Zahid said.
The issue surrounding KKDW’s financial management arose following earlier remarks by Ahmad Zahid concerning delays in payments to contractors handling infrastructure and development projects under the ministry. The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that the payment issues needed to be addressed promptly to prevent ongoing disruptions for contractors executing government projects.
On Sept 2, Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Johan Mahmood Merican clarified that the Finance Ministry had placed no restrictions on KKDW’s funding allocation for rural road projects, confirming that the full allocated funding had already been disbursed.
–NMT
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