Don’t burden nation’s ‘golden geese’ with political decisions, says Hamzah

Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin criticized the government for burdening the nation's key institutions like Petronas, Tenaga Nasional Bhd, and KWAP with political decisions. He emphasized that these strategic entities should be allowed to focus on their core functions without having to execute government directives that could harm their financial stability.

During a 2027 budget debate, Hamzah pointed out Petronas' significant financial commitments, including over RM163 billion in projected dividends from 2023 to 2027, which he argued should be directed towards investments in critical projects such as LNG Canada phase two and developments in Suriname, Turkmenistan, and Pengerang. He also questioned the government's decision to raise the electricity bill protection threshold for domestic consumers from 600kWh to 800kWh, noting that this change had caused TNB to incur RM150 million in additional costs.

Furthermore, Hamzah expressed concerns over KWAP's involvement in development initiatives that were not aligned with its mandate to provide secure returns for retirees, stating that its primary responsibility is to generate safe financial returns for its beneficiaries.