Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak has criticised Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng’s explanation regarding the 2019 Budget’s proposed allocations for bumiputeras and rural development.
Lim had issued a statement earlier today to answer allegations that the 2019 Budget proposal neglected rural folk, particularly farmers, fishers, and plantation workers.
The minister had said that, contrary to allegations about Majlis Amanah Rakyat’s (Mara) funding being halved, its overall budget was being maintained at RM3.7 billion.
According to Lim, Mara's apparent drop in operating expenditure had been due to its scholarships totalling RM 2 billion being reclassified as development expenditure.
However, in a Facebook post today, Najib said this still leaves the scholarship fund RM500 million short of its allocation under the previous BN government for this year.
“But he (Lim) does not mention this. Strange,” he said.
Gov’t assistance for Felda
Lim had also said that funding for the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) would be increased from RM160 million this year to RM260 million next year to fund road upgrades and water supplies for Felda settlements.
Najib acknowledged that Felda is indeed getting more next year compared to this year.
“But for the 2018 Budget, BN had also given Felda RM60 million for oil palm replanting, RM164 million for 5,000 units of housing for second-generation Felda settlers, and an RM5,000 special incentive for 94,956 Felda settler families nationwide totalling RM474.78 million.
“All these are gone from the 2019 Budget at a time when palm oil and rubber prices are very low and government assistance should be increased and not reduced or abolished.
“BR1M payments for rural folk would also be reduced or abolished. Still in denial?
“All this is written in black and white in the 2019 Budget, but the minister of finance still wants to deny it? Oh yes, the 14th general election manifesto was also written in black and white, but can still be lied and twisted about,” he said in his Facebook post.