Anwar Assures Public of Ministries’ Credibility Amid Review of Project Performance
Kuala Lumpur, The Gulf Observer: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Friday said that legal action taken in response to weaknesses in the implementation of certain development projects should not give rise to negative perceptions of the ministries involved or the country’s security forces as a whole.
Emphasising that such actions target only a small number of individuals, Anwar stressed that cases of corruption or poor performance should not be associated with the overall integrity, credibility or professionalism of the ministries and agencies concerned.
The Prime Minister, who also serves as Finance Minister, noted that while the implementation of physical development projects in previous years had generally been strong, the government acknowledged that several ministries did not fully meet their project implementation targets in 2025.
“Like corruption cases, these involve only a small minority. I want my colleagues in the security forces, the military and the police to know that, overall, they are credible, capable and have made great sacrifices,” he said.
“The same applies to ministries. Calls to improve performance do not indicate total failure. Rather, appropriate action must be taken against the officers involved so that project implementation can be accelerated, particularly small-scale projects that directly benefit the people,” Anwar told reporters after Friday prayers at the Usamah Bin Zaid Mosque in Wangsa Maju.
Earlier, on Thursday (Jan 15), Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said that 14 ministry secretaries-general would be summoned to explain their failure to meet physical development project targets in 2025.
Without naming the ministries involved, Shamsul Azri said expenditure on development projects by the affected ministries stood at 87.91 per cent, below the national average and a matter requiring serious attention.
He added that while people-centric projects, including the construction and upgrading of roads, schools, clinics and hospitals, continued to be implemented, progress had been slower than expected.
