'Yusuf in Bukit Gasing': Can govt afford RM430b for 13MP, Hamzah asks

PARLIAMENT | Perikatan Nasional wants the government to clarify how it will fund the RM430 billion allocated for development under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), without adding to public debt or burdening the public.

Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin (PN-Larut) raised concerns over the government’s fiscal capacity, warning that ambitious plans without clear funding risk becoming pipe dreams.

“Tambun (Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim) announced 13MP’s total allocation at RM611 billion over five years, but only RM430 billion is to come directly from government coffers.

“The rest - RM120 billion - is expected from government-linked companies, and RM61 billion via public-private partnerships,” he said.

To illustrate his point, Hamzah shared an analogy of a man named “Yusuf” who dreams of building a luxurious bungalow in “Bukit Gasing” but lacks the financial means and a clear plan to achieve it.

Rosol Wahid (PN-Hulu Terengganu) then stood up to interject, asking, “Which Yusuf? Yusoff Rawther or another Yusuf?”, and Hamzah in response quipped, “He (Rosol) is naughty. I’m not referring to anyone, I just said ‘Yusuf’.”

Continuing his analogy, Hamzah said, “Year after year, the dream remains unfulfilled. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big, but money doesn’t fall from the sky. Yusuf had no clear plan to raise the funds.

“PN hopes 13MP won’t turn out the same,” he stressed.

Hamzah’s remarks came during a broader opposition push for transparency and accountability in 13MP’s implementation.

He went on to press the government to answer the “big question” - where exactly the RM430 billion would come from.

“Will it be funded through increased borrowings or new debts, even as the government claims it wants to reduce debt levels? If debt is to be lowered, how will there be enough funds for 13MP?” he asked.

Hamzah also raised the possibility that the public could be made to shoulder the burden through higher taxes or subsidy cuts.

“This is what PN MPs are worried about. Will the rakyat have to bear the cost through an expanded SST, new taxes, or subsidy withdrawals under the guise of ‘rationalisation’?” he asked.

He cautioned that the government was facing tighter fiscal space amid increasing geopolitical and economic uncertainties, including a projected decline in the country’s oil revenue to an average of US$93.90 per barrel over the 13MP period.

Reporting by Alyaa Alhadjri, Zarrah Morden, B Nantha Kumar

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