By Danial Dzulkifly
GOMBAK, Aug 8 — Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said his administration has spent more compared to his predecessor by focusing not only on social welfare programmes but also on state economic development.
His remarks come in the wake of allegations from former menteri besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali that the Pakatan Harapan state administration did not allocate enough for social welfare, despite boasting larger state reserves.
Refusing to mince words, Amirudin labelled Azmin’s assertions as unrealistic, pointing to data demonstrating the state administration’s increased spending on social welfare and sustainable economic development between 2018 and 2022.
“We allocated RM2.3 billion, whereas, during his tenure, only RM1.3 billion was expended. Beyond social welfare, we also launched novel programmes, partnering with state agencies and corporations.
“In actuality, during the Covid-19 pandemic, I invested RM1 billion more than he did and still managed to produce a surplus budget in the past three years. We aimed to stimulate economic activities in tandem with other welfare-centric initiatives,” he said during a press conference at his parliamentary service centre in Taman Samudra, earlier today.
Amirudin also rebuked the offers by Perikatan Nasional (PN) in their manifesto as merely populist in nature, which lack any elements for credible economic development.
Selangor has reported RM3.4 billion in reserves as of April this year.
Under Amirudin’s stewardship, Selangor’s contribution to the national GDP rose from 23.7 per cent to 24.3 per cent in 2020, even as Malaysia had to deal with the threats posed by the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.
In 2022, Selangor contributed 25.5 per cent to the national economy.
Compared to the late menteri besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s period, Selangor contributed 23.7 per cent to the national economy, while during Azmin’s period, it recorded only 23 per cent.
