Pushing mega-projects, Hamzah Zainudin criticises Budget 2027 as ‘lacking vision’

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin criticized Budget 2027 for lacking a long-term economic vision and over-relying on short-term handouts.

He highlighted the government's failure to meet its RM90 billion development expenditure target as indicative of poor fiscal management, which could lead to under-investment in infrastructure.

Hamzah proposed large-scale infrastructure projects to drive economic growth and enhance logistics and trade connectivity.

While the opposition has been accused of not producing a shadow budget since 2022, Hamzah defended their approach as focused on policy critique rather than proposing alternative budgets deemed impractical.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin today criticised Budget 2027 as “lacking vision”, arguing that the federal government’s spending plan lacks a long-term economic plan and relies heavily on short-term handouts.

Hamzah (PN-Larut) cited the government’s failure to meet its target of RM90 billion in development expenditure for two consecutive years, arguing this indicates poor fiscal management that could fuel concerns about potential under-investment in infrastructure projects.

The Larut MP suggested large-scale infrastructure projects to serve as primary “engines of growth”.

“I mean he (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) has tabled five budgets already but still has not shown any clear ideas for the future. This clearly shows this government lacks vision,” he said at a press conference here.

“Even if you look at development expenditure, it was he that set the RM90 billion target. That is in the 13th Malaysian Plan, yet the devex (he’s announced) for two straight years didn’t meet the target… isn’t this the very waad (vow) you made?”

Anwar tabled a record RM459 billion federal spending plan for next year, of which some RM83 billion is earmarked for development. The rest will go to operating expenses, the bulk being pension payments and emoluments.

Hamzah suggested there should have been more for development spending. He proposed mega infrastructure projects such as a major highway connecting Malaysia’s east and west coasts, or new sea ports to improve logistics efficiency, enhance supply chains, and boost regional trade connectivity.

Still, Hamzah and the Opposition have also been accused of lacking ideas. Government leaders often point out that Perikatan Nasional has failed to produce a single shadow budget since 2022, which they said reflected the coalition’s lack of vision or ideological coherence.

When asked why PN has not produced its own budgets, Hamzah called it a futile exercise.

“As the Opposition we are asked about producing alternative budgets. My question is: can they be implemented? If can’t then what is the point? It becomes a self-indulgent exercise,” he said.

“What we do is we debate to correct policies (under the Budget) that we feel are weak and not beneficial to the people, and we feel the views we express should be considered by the government.”

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反对党领袖拿督斯里韩沙再努丁批评2027年财政预算案缺乏长期经济愿景，过度依赖短期援助。

他强调，政府未能实现 900 亿令吉的发展支出目标，表明财政管理不善，这可能导致基础设施投资不足。

哈姆扎提议开展大规模基础设施项目，以推动经济增长并加强物流和贸易连通性。

尽管反对派被指责自 2022 年以来没有制定影子预算，但哈姆扎为他们的做法辩护说，他们的重点是政策批评，而不是提出被认为不切实际的替代预算。

吉隆坡，10月12日讯——反对党领袖拿督斯里韩沙再努丁今日批评2027年财政预算案“缺乏远见”，认为联邦政府的支出计划缺乏长期经济规划，严重依赖短期拨款。

哈姆扎（国盟-拉鲁特）指出，政府连续两年未能实现900亿令吉的发展支出目标，他认为这表明财政管理不善，可能会加剧人们对基础设施项目投资不足的担忧。

拉律省议员建议将大型基础设施项目作为主要的“增长引擎”。

“我的意思是，他（首相拿督斯里安华）已经提交了五份预算案，但仍然没有展现出任何清晰的未来规划。这清楚地表明本届政府缺乏远见，”他在新闻发布会上说道。

“即使只看发展支出，也是他设定了900亿令吉的目标。这是第十三个马来西亚计划中的目标，然而他连续两年宣布的发展支出都没有达到目标……这难道不是你当初许下的承诺吗？”

安华提交了一份创纪录的4590亿令吉联邦明年支出计划，其中约830亿令吉用于发展。其余部分将用于运营支出，主要包括养老金和薪酬。

哈姆扎认为应该增加发展支出。他提议建设大型基础设施项目，例如连接马来西亚东西海岸的主要高速公路，或新建海港，以提高物流效率、加强供应链并促进区域贸易互联互通。

然而，哈姆扎和反对党也被指责缺乏理念。政府领导人经常指出，国民联盟自2022年以来未能提出任何影子预算，他们认为这反映出该联盟缺乏远见或意识形态上的一致性。

当被问及为什么国民党没有制定自己的预算时，哈姆扎称这是徒劳之举。

“作为反对党，我们被要求提出替代预算方案。我的问题是：这些方案能实施吗？如果不能，那意义何在？这只会沦为一种自娱自乐的行为。”他说道。

“我们所做的就是通过辩论来纠正我们认为薄弱且对人民无益的（预算）政策，我们认为政府应该考虑我们表达的观点。”

副部长表示，兽医推广人员对马来西亚的粮食安全至关重要。

2027年财政预算案：拨款1.3亿令吉用于本地电影、音乐和创意内容。

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