November 03, 2009 23:16 PM

Special Cabinet Meeting On Friday, Says Najib

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- There will be a special cabinet meeting on Friday, which will include all heads of department, to ensure proper implementation of the 2010 Budget, tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Parliament last week.

In making this public, Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said all ministers and heads of department would be briefed on what was expected of a particular department or ministry based on the recently tabled national Budget.

"We would tell them when to start projects, what projects are priority, who would monitor the implementation and so on.

"Like the 1Malaysia (health) clinics, we want it launched by the first week of January, next year. I have instructed the Health Minister to ensure that this takes off. We are committed and serious in ensuring proper implementation of the Budget. We believe we have the potential to grow further economically," he said.

The Prime Minister said this at a dinner at the Finance Ministry, held to thank the Ministry staff who had spent the last six months preparing the national Budget.

On another note, Najib also related his experience in tabling the 2010 Budget since it was the first time he tabled the Budget in Parliament although he had tabled two Economic Stimulus Packages in his capacity as Finance Minister.

"This was new. It was challenging and complex not because all Budgets are challenging and complex but because it is a time where the nation was facing a challenging period due to both internal and external environments.

"Before and during the preparation of the Budget, I had this thought running in my head. Whether this would be the most bitter Budget ever due to the current global economic environment. Another factor is because the Budget had a lot of painful budgetary measures due to the economic climate.

"However after it was completed, these fears were gone and replaced by another fear which was whether this Budget would be accepted by the people, analysts and critics.

But thank God, after the tabling of the Budget, I could feel that it had been well received. I started the Budget speech thinking that it would take one hour and 20 minutes but I ended up speaking for a full two hours," said Najib.

However, he said the hard part now was in the implementation of the Budget and how the rakyat were going to gain from it.

"The Budget has a lot of objectives and at one look it feels as though these objectives cannot be achieved. These objectives include reducing our deficit, delivering on our promises to the people, market reaction and so on.

I felt like a juggler trying to hold on to as many balls as possible. But what was seemingly improbable has been achieved," he added.

He said next year's Budget had fulfilled the peoples wishes, brought in new things like more day care centres and touched the lives of ordinary people like taxi drivers and fishermen.

"We are sending powerful messages to the people. We are also holding on to the principle of value for money. We have reduced expenditure but at the same time continue our development. I would say it was a job well done.

"But this was achievable because it was a team effort. It was not only my Budget but also the budget of the Budget team. Everyone contributed," he said referring to the staff of the Treasury.

He said inputs for the Budget this time around did not only come from annual dialogues organised by the Finance Ministry prior to the tabling of the Budget but also came directly from those who had put their ideas through the 1Malaysia website and various other sources.

Najib said he worked with the team from the Ministry fulltime in the run-up to the tabling of the Budget to ensure his personal involvement in it.

-- BERNAMA

We provide (subscription-based) 
news coverage in our Newswire service.