Semak semula fakta, SUA PM beritahu rakan sejawat kepada Zahid

Kementerian Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim's Deputy, Tunku Nashrul Abaidah, has rebuked Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and Minister for Rural and Regional Development, Zahid Hamidi, regarding the allocation of government funds to the Rural Development and Regional Development (KKDW) ministry. Anwar's Deputy implored Fadzmel Fadzil, Zahid's counterpart, to verify the facts after Fadzmel questioned the statement regarding the ministry's expenditure.

Anwar's Deputy confidently stated that the statement issued by the Finance Ministry was not made hastily. He praised the Deputy Speaker as a meticulous and diligent assistant, noting that he would certainly be more knowledgeable in financial matters related to the national government. The disagreement arose after Zahid, who also serves as the Minister for Rural and Regional Development, claimed that payments to contractors for a rural development project were delayed, leading to delays and potential cash flow issues.

He mentioned that some contractors under his ministry were still waiting for payment despite completing work and reaching project milestones as stipulated.

In response, Deputy Speaker's Chief Whip, Johan Mahmood Merican, attributed the delays to the expenditure of nearly all funds allocated for road projects this year. He clarified that the ministry consistently spent more than the approved annual budget for road projects since 2023. However, Fadzmel argued that it is impossible for the ministry to spend more than the approved annual budget given the loan requests submitted to the Finance Ministry and the processing of expenditures through the Putrajaya financial management system.