Prime Minister Mahathir’s cabinet has agreed to take a 10% salary cut, leading by example in a bid to reduce government spending.
The PM made the announcement at a press conference earlier today after adjourning his first of a weekly cabinet meeting in Putrajaya.
Stating that he had taken a similar measure when he first came to power in 1981, the move will cut from the ministers’ basic salaries.
He added that all major projects are currently under review, and affirmed that some could possibly be scrapped if they were not found to be fiscally sound. Decision on these projects will be made “soon” said the PM.
Among the mega projects under review are the Pan Borneo Highway, Bandar Malaysia, and the Tun Razak Exchange.
Other cost cutting measures undertaken by the PM include the dissolution of “non-essential” agencies such as the Land and Public Transport Commission (SPAD), the National Professors Council and the Special Affairs Department (Jasa).
Mahathir has also disbanded the previously unknown secret police unit within the Prime Minister’s office.
Chop, chop … sounds like a lot of things are on the block, and it’s about time to get rid of what the new government sees as dead weight.
Mahathir’s return to power has been met with a whirlwind of change that his campaign had promised: The MACC is currently hot on the heels of the truth behind 1MDB, the anti-fake news law is under review with the man tasked with the case telling media that it was hastily pushed through by the earlier government, and the scraping of GST from 6% to 0%.
Buckle up, things are moving fast.
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