PUTRAJAYA, Sept 3 — Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN) Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar has urged civil servants across all ministries to maintain strict fiscal discipline and ensure government expenditure remains strictly within the allocations approved under the national budget.
Speaking to reporters following the closing ceremony of the 2026 Public Sector AI Seminar and Public Sector AI Nexus Challenge 2026 awards presentation today, Shamsul Azri emphasized that public sector financial management depends on adhering to parliamentary budget caps.
“In the civil service, we must spend according to what has been budgeted,” Shamsul Azri stated when asked to respond to the financial dispute between the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) concerning rural road project funding.
His reminder follows statements issued yesterday by Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Johan Mahmood Merican, who clarified that the Ministry of Finance had not imposed any freezes or restrictions on KKDW’s allocations for rural road infrastructure. Johan explained that the payment delays experienced by contractors were the result of KKDW spending almost its entire current-year allocation ahead of schedule.
The underlying budgeting dispute came to light after Deputy Prime Minister and KKDW Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi publicly expressed concern over severe cash-flow pressures faced by government contractors due to delayed payments. Zahid stressed that systemic payment bottlenecks must be resolved promptly to ensure critical rural development projects proceed without persistent financial disruptions.
–NMT
More Stories
Bill to Limit Prime Minister’s Tenure Ready for Second Reading, Says Azalina
Former Executives of Tabung Haji Subsidiary THP Bina Charged with CBT, Abetment Involving RM72,000
Tabung Haji RCI: Court Postpones Case Against Former COO to Sept 24 Over Heart Condition