PM cancels 68 govt officers' trip to Berlin to be stringent

EDITOR’S NOTE: The trip was supposed to be to Berlin, Germany, according to clarification from the Prime Minister’s Office, not Paris as the PM initially mentioned. The headline has been amended to reflect this.

A planned overseas trip for 68 government officials has been cancelled as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's administration clamps down on excessive public spending.

“We are more stringent. We want all government agencies and companies, even boards, to have authority.

"All new projects and overseas trips must be approved by the secretary-general or director,” Anwar told reporters after performing Friday prayers at Masjid Darussalam in Puchong today.

He mentioned a ministry’s staff trip to Berlin, Germany that was cancelled, even though hotel and flight bookings had already been made.

Previously, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said government agencies and statutory bodies must seek approval from respective ministers for any official overseas trip.

The government spokesperson said this is part of the country's effort to reduce public expenditure, reduce national debts and improve management practices

Ringgit strength

On the recent strengthening of ringgit, Anwar expressed gratitude for the currency's performance and at the same time, questioned the opposition’s silence on the matter, contrasting it with their past criticisms when the currency was weaker.

Anwar pointed out that the opposition was quick to attack the government when the ringgit weakened but has been quiet now that the currency is performing better.

“Our friends over there don’t seem to notice. When the ringgit was weak, they criticised us endlessly. Now that it’s stronger, they say nothing,” Anwar remarked.

Anwar acknowledged that external factors, such as decisions by the US Federal Reserve, had an impact on the currency.

“Sometimes, their decisions have an effect... If they ease up, it gives space for the ringgit to strengthen, and Alhamdulillah, it's doing better,” he said.

As of 6pm yesterday, the local currency surged to 4.2025/2105 against the US dollar, up from 4.2410/2460 at Wednesday's close, maintaining its position as one of the top-performing currencies in the Asian region.

The ringgit continued to strengthen against the US dollar, reaching its highest level in 28 months against the currency of the developed nation after the US Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by 50 basis points last night, according to analysts.

Israel's pager attack

In another development, Anwar strongly condemned an attack linked to Israel involving the use of pagers, calling it an inhumane act that targets innocent civilians.

Echoing a statement released by the Foreign Ministry, Malaysia denounced the brutal assault, which Anwar said had wide-reaching effects on civilians using the devices.

“This is an inhumane attack. It doesn’t target military personnel but rather women and children. We strongly object to this,” he said.

The prime minister emphasised that the attack demonstrated a blatant disregard for human life, reinforcing Malaysia's stance against such aggression.

Yesterday, Bernama reported that the death toll in Lebanon from the explosions of wireless communication devices manufactured by Japanese firm Icom has risen to 20 on Wednesday, with more than 450 injured, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The latest toll comes after 12 people were killed on Tuesday and around 2,800 others injured, 300 of them critically, in a similar attack involving pagers primarily used by the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

The combined death toll from the explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday has reached 32, with more than 3,250 injured.

The Lebanese Communications Ministry also announced that the Icom devices involved in Wednesday’s explosions were unlicensed and had not been approved.

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