PUTRAJAYA: One of the ways to avoid Malaysia from getting bankrupt is to do away with projects which are not beneficial to the country, said Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
Dr. Mahathir said it is not only the High-Speed Rail (HSR) project with Singapore which will have to be stopped but also other mega projects.
“The most important thing is to reduce the amount of borrowing by the government. We have borrowed too much money and we cannot pay if the projects are to be continued,” he said after chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting here today.
Dr. Mahathir also told the media that tomorrow (Thursday) the Ministry of Finance will announce the cost of the national administration and the steps taken to safe government’s spending.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also said that the search for the missing MH370 will have to be stopped as it cannot keep on searching without any result.
He said, if there is any information about the missing airplane then it can be considered.
“We understand the feelings of the victims’ families but the search cannot go on forever,” he said.
The missing airplane has been on the search for four years by many international and professional bodies but until today nothing concrete was found.
On the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia’s (Jakim) situation, Dr. Mahathir said, the Cabinet has not decided on it yet but there will be a meeting between the “ulama” and the non-knowledgeable Islamic groups to study on the latest situation.
“Jakim could be retained based on its original objectives. We do not want Islam to be seen as a very cruel and inhumane religion in this country. We do not want something not found in the al-Quran but being enforced on the people,” he said.
Dr. Mahathir also announced among others:-
* RM400 special aid to civil servants in Grade 41 and below.
*GST will be replaced by SST starting in September.
*RM200 aid to retired civil servants.
*Toll rates will be reduced by 50% two days before Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
*Living Cost Aid (Bantuan Sara Hidup) replacing 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M)
-Malaysia World News
