SPECIAL CABINET MEETING ON FRIDAY, SAYS MALAYSIAN PM

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- There will be a special cabinet meeting on Friday, which will include all heads of department, to ensure proper implementation of the 2010 Budget, tabled by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in Parliament last week.

In making this public, Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said all
ministers and heads of department would be briefed on what was expected of a
particular department or ministry based on the recently tabled national Budget.

"We would tell them when to start projects, what projects are priority, who
would monitor the implementation and so on.

"Like the 1Malaysia (health) clinics, we want it launched by the first week
of January, next year. I have instructed the Health Minister to ensure that this
takes off. We are committed and serious in ensuring proper implementation of the
Budget. We believe we have the potential to grow further economically," he said.

The Prime Minister said this at a dinner at the Finance Ministry, held to
thank the Ministry staff who had spent the last six months preparing the
national Budget.


On another note, Najib also related his experience in tabling the 2010
Budget since it was the first time he tabled the Budget in Parliament although
he had tabled two Economic Stimulus Packages in his capacity as Finance
Minister.

"This was new. It was challenging and complex not because all Budgets are
challenging and complex but because it is a time where the nation was facing a
challenging period due to both internal and external environments.

"Before and during the preparation of the Budget, I had this thought running
in my head. Whether this would be the most bitter Budget ever due to the current
global economic environment. Another factor is because the Budget had a lot of
painful budgetary measures due to the economic climate.

"However after it was completed, these fears were gone and replaced by
another fear which was whether this Budget would be accepted by the people,
analysts and critics. But thank God, after the tabling of the Budget, I could
feel that it had been well received. I started the Budget speech thinking that
it would take one hour and 20 minutes but I ended up speaking for a full two
hours," said Najib.

However, he said the hard part now was in the implementation of the Budget
and how the rakyat were going to gain from it.

"The Budget has a lot of objectives and at one look it feels as though these
objectives cannot be achieved. These objectives include reducing our deficit,
delivering on our promises to the people, market reaction and so on. I felt like
a juggler trying to hold on to as many balls as possible. But what was seemingly
improbable has been achieved," he added.

He said next year's Budget had fulfilled the peoples wishes, brought in new
things like more day care centres and touched the lives of ordinary people like
taxi drivers and fishermen.

"We are sending powerful messages to the people. We are also holding on to
the principle of value for money. We have reduced expenditure but at the
same time continue our development. I would say it was a job well done.

"But this was achievable because it was a team effort. It was not only my
Budget but also the budget of the Budget team. Everyone contributed," he said
referring to the staff of the Treasury.

He said inputs for the Budget this time around did not only come from annual
dialogues organised by the Finance Ministry prior to the tabling of the Budget
but also came directly from those who had put their ideas through the 1Malaysia
website and various other sources.

Najib said he worked with the team from the Ministry fulltime in the run-up
to the tabling of the Budget to ensure his personal involvement in it.

-- BERNAMA