PUTRAJAYA: The 2014 Budget will focus on enhancing domestic resilience and strengthen the national economy against external shocks, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said yesterday.
He said the move would serve as a ‘buffer’ to face any external shocks that were ‘beyond our control’.
“We hope this budget will be implemented with the objective of developing our economy to yield satisfactory growth and strengthen domestic resilience,” Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said when chairing the meeting on the implementation of the 2014 Budget with Cabinet Ministers and ministries’ secretaries-general at the Finance Ministry yesterday.
The prime minister wants the ministries to take appropriate measures to ensure that the budgetary provisions were implemented effectively and fulfilled the intended objectives.
He said the ministries and agencies should cooperate to implement the projects and programmes under the budget so that there was no confusion among them that could delay their implementation.
Najib tabled the 2014 Budget in Parliament on Oct 25.
Also present at the high-powered meeting were Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Communication and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal also attended the meeting.
Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datukl Seri Rohani Abdul Karim, Works Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof and Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan also attended the meeting.
Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan, Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz and Finance Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar were also present. — Bernama