Former Batu Pahat MP calls for special body to monitor ministry spending

In a Facebook post, former Batu Pahat MP Puad advocated for establishing a special body to monitor ministry spending, aiming to stop repeated instances of overspending and unspent funds being returned to the Treasury. He referenced Treasury disclosures that the Rural Development and Regional Development Ministry spent beyond its budget, leaving contractors unpaid despite completed work. Puad also recalled the Education Ministry returning a sizable amount of unspent money during his tenure as deputy minister.

He raised concerns about possible bureaucratic inefficiencies, inaccurate information systems, or lack of responsiveness, urging that these matters be tackled in the upcoming 2027 budget. Additionally, the Treasury noted that the Deputy Prime Minister's ministry consistently overspent on rural road projects, with expenditures of RM1.8 billion in 2023, RM2 billion in 2024, and RM2.3 billion in 2025, resulting in a total variance of RM2.1 billion. A DAP MP has called for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the overspending.