{
  "id": 15748977,
  "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-15748977",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-20T12:35:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/20/reveal-other-ministries-that-exceeded-allocations-bn-mp-tells-treasury"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tampin MP Isam Isa criticized the DAP-led opposition for attempting to tarnish the image of the rural and regional development ministry's leadership by highlighting issues with allocation spending. In a debate on the 2027 budget in the Dewan Rakyat, Isam called upon the finance ministry to disclose the other ministries that have exceeded their initial allocation for the year. Defending the additional funds granted to the rural and regional development ministry by the Treasury, Isam argued that allocation adjustments are a regular occurrence in managing public finances. He dismissed DAP's Chong Zhemin (PH-Kampar) for submitting a report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) regarding the matter, noting that a Treasury official had already declared the issue resolved. Isam urged the finance ministry to provide a list of the other ministries that necessitated similar allocation adjustments, suggesting that the DAP might lodge similar MACC reports against them. This situation is not about transparency, Isam claimed, but rather a cheap political tactic employed by the DAP to create a negative perception of the rural and regional development ministry's leadership. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who also serves as the rural and regional development minister, had previously expressed frustration over delayed payments to contractors working on the ministry's projects, with some being forced to cease operations due to cash flow problems. The following day, Treasury Secretary-General Johan Mahmood Merican revealed that contractors handling rural development projects faced delayed payments as most of the ministry's allocation for rural roads in 2023-2025 had already been spent, with a cumulative total of RM2.1 billion in over-expenditure recorded over those three years, leading to Chong's report submission to MACC on October 6.",
  "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."
}