{
  "id": 6537529,
  "title": "Jangan heret penjawat awam dalam perbalahan politik, kata Kian Ming, KJ",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/jangan-heret-penjawat-awam-dalam-perbalahan-politik-kata-kian-ming-kj",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-10T03:23:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2026/09/10/jangan-heret-penjawat-awam-dalam-perbalahan-politik-kata-kian-ming-kj"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former deputy ministers Ong Kian Ming and Khairy Jamaluddin have condemned the act of slandering civil servants in political disputes, stating it can undermine their spirit and tarnish the reputation of public service. Ong and Khairy discussed the controversy surrounding the budget allocation for the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, arguing that expenditures are subject to established procedures and any disagreements on funding or spending should not be extended to the ministerial level. Ong expressed that such actions are unwelcome by civil servants from the chief secretary down to the employees. He asserted that this has never happened before, according to a former minister of international trade and industry. The act is not only a negative sentiment but also drains the spirit of public service by demonstrating that politicians only care about their own political gains and neglect the importance of managing government finances. Khairy agreed that the issue should be resolved internally while emphasizing the importance of public service, expressing concern over the controversy that could raise several questions, particularly about why the budget could exceed the approved allocation. For a fair assessment of the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, Khairy questioned why the budget could surpass the approved allocation, emphasizing the need for clarification to avoid political maneuvering to justify additional contracts or inflated costs at the ministerial level. The disagreement emerged after Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi, who also serves as the minister of rural and regional development, expressed disappointment over the delayed payment to a contractor overseeing rural development projects. The issue was discussed by Perwakilan Perbendaharaan Johan Mahmood Merican, who noted that most of the budget for rural road projects has already been allocated, leading to payment constraints. Johan stated that the budget for rural road projects has been fully allocated and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) consistently spends more than the annual allocation for rural road projects for several years. Zahid's officials, Fadzmel Fadzil, supported Johan's statement, urging the Deputy Press Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office, Tunku Nashrul Abaidah, to defend Johan. Khairy also questioned where the complexity originated, noting that the budget has been fully allocated, while the ministry claims the contractor has not been paid, and the payment should be made by the Department of Works and Housing (JKR).",
  "summary": "Bekas timbalan menteri dan bekas menteri itu berkata pertikaian belanja kerajaan patut selesai dalaman, bukan melalui pertikaian politik terbuka.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Jangan heret penjawat awam dalam perbalahan politik, kata Kian Ming, KJ",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/jangan-heret-penjawat-awam-dalam-perbalahan-politik-kata-kian-ming-kj-6538297",
        "published": "2026-09-10T03:23:27.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}