M'sian govt coy about tackling weak finances

Kuala Lumpur

WITH about a week to the 2014 Budget, the Malaysian government remains coy about how it intends to deal with its weak finances. This is despite indicating that it will continue the rationalisation of subsidies, albeit gradually and not according to a timeline, to allow more room for political manoeuvre.

This is especially the case with fuel subsidies, which are a particularly sensitive issue with the public, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Wahid Omar said at a recent meeting with analysts and economists ahead of the tabling of the Budget on Oct 25.