What Budget 2023 has to offer - The Star

 Media coverage from The Star:

"Malaysians, say political observers, are looking forward to seeing what is in store for them and what the coalition government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has got to offer in Budget 2023.

“This is perhaps the first time that there are people who are more interested in waiting for the Prime Minister’s Parliament dissolution announcement than the Budget itself.

“The fact that the Budget was brought forward earlier to Oct 7 is a strong indicator as well as the Umno supreme council meeting concluding that GE15 must be held this year,” said Universiti Teknologi MARA’s (UiTM) Faculty of Communication and Media Studies senior lecturer Shahnon Mohamed Salleh."

There were several key observations for Budget 2023, including that the economic forecast and global outlook for 2023 would generally be gloomy, said Shahnon.

“So I expect the government to address these challenges and at the same time, balance fiscal constraints and people’s expectations,” he said, adding that this would include addressing rising subsidies, the value of the ringgit and the cost of living.

Other issues and concerns, he said, would revolve around providing “election-friendly” initiatives for the lower-income group with the polls expected around the corner.

Personally, Shahnon would like to see more investment from the government in public transport, healthcare and technology infrastructure to compete with other countries, especially those in the region.

Full report: What Budget 2023 has to offer - The Star