Malaysian Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim on February 24 submitted a 2023 revised budget plan draft with a record estimate of 388.1 billion RM (87.2 billion USD).
Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Mal꧙aysian Prime Minister andFinance Minister Anwar Ibrahim on February 24 submitted a 2023 revised budgetplan draft with a record estimate of 388.1 ꦉbillion RM (87.2 billion USD).
His predecessor Muhyiddin Yassin proposed to the country’sparliament a budget of 372.3 billion in October 2022 just three days before theparliament was dissolved to pave the way for the general election. Under Anwar’s spending plan, 74.8% of the proposed revisedbudget will be used for operational spending, and the remaining 25.2% fordevelopment spending. The budget 2023 will focus on addressing the high cost ofliving, further strengthening the social safety network and the micro, small andmedium enterprise (MSME) ecosystem.
The government will also consider ways to reduce marketdisruptions and streamline business processes through the adoption of hightechnology and digitalisation, protecting people's livelihoods, maintainingintegrity, raising awareness of a caring and compassionate society, andimproving the efficiency of public and private sector distribution systems.
The three ministries with the most budget allocations are theMinistry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Education. Thebudgets for the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Defense alsoincreased compared to the previous draft, 18.5 billion RM and 17.7billion RM respectively,�ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ� to enhance national security.
The expenditure draft also includes many support packages suchas increasing New Year bonuses for civil servants; tax reduction for a group ofmiddle-income households (M40); cash support for low-income households (B40),food carts, computers for university students from those households; reducingInternet charges and support families with five children or more.
After the re𒐪vised draft2023 budget is submitted to the parliament, delegates will have 30 days todebate. It is expected that the draft budget will be approved before theparliament’s🍬 second session wraps up on March 30./.
The Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI) under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation said in a statement on February 20 that Malaysia is the top-ranked Southeast Asian country in the Drone Readiness Index (DRI).
Malaysia will continue to focus on managing external challenges and the ramifications facing its economy this year, said Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Zafrul Aziz.
The Malaysian Employers Federation, the nation’s largest employers' group, fears that up to 60,000 people could lose their jobs this year, double the yearly average of the past, its President Syed Hussain Syed Husman has said.
The Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has recently announced that Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 8.7% last year, and gave assurance that Malaysia’s economy will not be going into a recession this year.
In his article, Oscar Sanchez Serra highlighted President Ho Chi Minh’s founding of the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper on June 21, 1925, which marked the birth of Vietnam's revolutionary press rooted in a bold and far-sighted vision.
Several ASEAN meetings are scheduled to take place in Port Dickson this September, including the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) for ASEAN Plus Three (APT), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 15th ASEAN Maritime Forum, and the 13th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the urgent implementation of a national policy to crack down on all forms of call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling, which are now considered threats to national security.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
A Ringgit banknote of Malaysia (Photo: Reuters) 
