{
  "id": 15744546,
  "title": "Reveal other ministries that exceeded allocations, BN MP tells Treasury",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/reveal-other-ministries-that-exceeded-allocations-bn-mp-tells-treasury",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-20T12:35:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/20/reveal-other-ministries-that-exceeded-allocations-bn-mp-tells-treasury"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Malaysian Deputy Chief Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who also serves as the Rural and Regional Development Minister, has been under fire for allegedly mishandling the ministry's budget. This comes after Tampin MP Isam Isa accused the DAP party of attempting to tarnish the reputation of the Rural and Regional Development Ministry. Isa argued that the ministry should reveal which other government departments had also exceeded their allocated funds. He dismissed Chong Zhemin's report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) as a political tactic, citing that a Treasury official had already declared the issue resolved.\n\nThe Rural and Regional Development Ministry had reported consistently exceeding its allocated budget for rural road projects over the past three years, with a cumulative over-expenditure amounting to RM2.1 billion from 2023 to 2025. In June, Chong lodged a MACC report over this issue, prompting Isa to call for the finance ministry to disclose the other ministries with similar issues. Deputy PM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had previously expressed frustration regarding delayed payments to contractors working on the ministry's projects, citing cash flow problems that forced some contractors to cease operations.",
  "summary": "In defending the rural and regional development ministry, Tampin MP Isam Isa says allocation 'adjustments' are normal in managing public finances.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}