Come tomorrow, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will announced the much anticipated 2007 national budget - his third budget address as finance minister.

Malaysiakini spoke to a few leaders on what they hope to see in Abdullah's upcoming speech.

Ramon Navaratnam, Transparency International Malaysia president and formerly economist at the Treasury for 27 years, during which he wrote 15 budget speeches

I hope the government will not give in to pressures to increase the budget deficit. People are asking (the government) to spend more but this can cause major structural problems, the government has to borrow more. The integrity of the budget should remain, the deficit should be kept under control.

The government should be concentrating on elimination of poverty and inflation, as well as providing more services to meet the need of lower income group such as the need for housing. Health and education facilities can be improved with more allocation of funds.

There are pockets of poverty in the rural as well as urban areas. Urban poverty can be a flash point for social unrest and national disunity. This area must receive particular priority because for too long poverty (has been seen) as a rural phenomenon.

The budget must be business friendly. Too much attention has been given to bumiputera equity ownership even at the level of the small and medium-sized industries. There should be more liberalisation in the (granting of) permit, licences especially on small investments, for instance, hawkers' licence. They can increase business activities and then increase supplies, therefore reduce inflation and prices of goods.

There are shortages of judges and court staff which resulted in the backlog of cases. More allocations should be provided to address this issue. Police force and immigration department should be provided with adequate staff and facilities in order for them to be able to cope with the increasing demands and volume of their work.


T Indrani, CEO of Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations

Fomca has actually come up with a wish list. We're looking at more accessibility, affordability and quality in healthcare, education and basic necessities for consumers.

The cost of living has increased and we're hoping interest rate for car loans and housing loans for civil servants can be reduced. We must find ways to bring all these (prices) down.

I know the government has to fulfill certain international obligations in light of globalisation and all, but they must not forget the interest of the people. It is not just about trade and the economy ... they must also think about the happiness of the people in the country.


Lim Si Pin, Gerakan Youth deputy chief and economist by training

We have seen announcements for the monorail project and second bridge in Penang recently, together with the RM10 billion public transport system upgrade exercise in the Klang Valley. However, we don't seem to have a national economic development policy. I hope the government will come out with a concrete strategy to pump-prime the economy.

We also need to address the issue of subsidy. The government has said there will be no more hike in fuel prices for this year but will it be increased next year? Any hike in the fuel prices should not be done at the beginning of next year because it will have multiple effects on the economy, this will negate other economic development policies.

It (the hike) shouldn't be done at least until after the first financial quarter next year and let the economy stabilise itself first because what will be announced in the Budget 2007 will take few a months to take effect.


S Arutcelvam, labour rights activist

First I'd like to see minimum wage being set for workers because of price hikes. There's nothing to guarantee a push for workers.

Also, I'd like to see the government set up a retrenchment fund (which) is like EPF or Socso, where workers who lose jobs will use this fund to help them. Lots of people are getting retrenched like Proton and MAS, and companies like Makro is also closing down. Retrenched workers don't get much after getting fired.

Inflation must also be addressed because there's an increase in necessities like petrol, water, electricity and taxes that is affecting a lot of people. The government knows they cannot control the price hike so the only way is to ensure wages go up.


Husam Musa, PAS vice-president

The issue of concern now is the cost of living. This concerns the ordinary citizen and I hope the government address the increase of inflation in Malaysia.

Our economy is shrinking. Some sectors, like the automotive industry, trade and construction are decreasing, and this is not a good sign for the economy. The government must take the initiative to resolve this issue.

Like the RM10 billion that is being used to upgrade the transport system in Klang Valley - what about other areas? I don't think people outside Kuala Lumpur would get the same benefit. This a unfair distribution of our wealth.

Budget 2007: Don't forget us, say pensioners