Malaysia seeks faster Budget 2027 delivery alongside governance reforms
Planned measures include legislation for state-owned entities and consideration of procurement before allocation warrants are issued.
Malaysia’s Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Johan Mahmood Merican has called on Finance Ministry employees to speed up Budget 2027 programmes while strengthening public financial management. At a ministry assembly in Putrajaya on October 19, he urged them to work according to principles of trust, agility and facilitation, known as ATM.
Johan said the Government Procurement Act would be enforced in 2027. Details of government contracts would also be made public, including those negotiated directly, although contracts involving security would be exempt.
A proposed State-Owned Enterprises Act would address governance of investments and procurement at state-owned entities, he said. The Finance Ministry would draft the legislation, covering statutory bodies as well as companies under Minister of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc).
To accelerate projects, Johan said the ministry would consider permitting procurement to start before allocation warrants were issued. He said the Chief Secretary to the Government had directed ministries and officers to bring forward planning and procurement, noting that projects generally showed progress only from the second quarter.
Johan also called for employees to look beyond procedural compliance and find ways to support programme implementation by other ministries and agencies. Any assistance must respect existing regulations and powers, secure value for money and prevent losses to the government, he said.
He asked staff to include assistance to the public, particularly vulnerable groups, among their key performance indicators for 2027.
