2027 budget’s success hinges on incomes and jobs, says Samsuri

The 2027 budget’s success should be judged by how well it raises incomes, provides quality jobs and eases the cost of living, says Perikatan Nasional chairman Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.

Samsuri, who is also the Kemaman MP, said the RM459.8 billion budget showed a large spending commitment, but the rising debt servicing costs required spending efficiency to be improved.

Out of the RM459.8 billion allocated, RM376.8 billion is for operational expenditure and RM83 billion for development expenditure.

“With debt service charges reaching RM61 billion, fiscal discipline and spending efficiency need to be further strengthened to ensure the country’s long-term financial capability,” he said in a statement today.

“The additional RM50.2 billion in investments and funding from government-linked entities and public-private partnerships also needs close monitoring to ensure the economic benefits and financial commitments are transparently evaluated.”

The Terengganu menteri besar also welcomed the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rakyat (SARA) assistance, as well as measures to raise workers’ incomes.

“However, the long-term priority must be to raise people’s purchasing power, provide commensurate job opportunities and strengthen local enterprises.”

Under the 2027 budget, all STR recipients will receive SARA assistance of up to RM150 a month in 2027, or RM1,800 a year. This follows the increase in the overall allocation for the two schemes to RM16 billion for 2027, up from RM15 billion.

The government also announced that the minimum wage would rise from RM1,700 to RM2,000 a month from June 2027, benefitting more than four million workers.