Serdang MP Dr Ong Kian Ming said it was unlikely that public universities would not suffer budget cuts as a result of the RM3.2 billion expenditure review announced on Tuesday. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 23, 2015.Will public universities suffer major budget cuts under the Budget 2015 revision while funds allocated to early childhood education programme Permata remain unaffected, DAP asked today.Serdang MP Dr Ong Kian Ming raised this issue following the prime minister's announcement on Tuesday that the largest expenditure review would involve RM3.2 billion in grants and transfers to statutory bodies, government-linked companies and government trust funds.Ong said in a statement today that as all public universities with the exception of International Islamic University were statutory bodies, they would be affected by this expenditure review.Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Tuesday announced an RM5.5 billion cut in the Budget 2015's RM223.4 billion government operating expenditure in view of falling global oil prices.According to the Economic Report 2014-2015, grants to statutory bodies from the operation expenditure were estimated at RM16.7 billion.In the Budget 2015 expenditure estimates, RM7.4 billion was allocated for the operational expenditure of 20 public universities, effectively making up 44% of the total RM16.7 billion allocated to statutory bodies.Ong said it was unlikely that public universities would not suffer budget cuts as a result of the RM3.2 billion expenditure review announced by the prime minister.“The question is, by how much?" he said.“It would be unfair for our public universities to suffer major budget cuts when other programmes and expenditure items such as the RM30.7 million allocated to Permata under the Prime Minister’s Department go unscathed," he added, referring to the early childhood education programme of which the prime minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor is patron.There are more than 120 statutory bodies at the federal level, at least 10 government trust funds and numerous GLCs, most of which receive at least some funding from the federal government.Ong added that Najib's failure to table the breakdown of his budget revision in Parliament could mean that affected parties such as statutory bodies, GLCs and trust funds did not know whether they were affected by the expenditure review.The revised budget was tabled without the presence of any Pakatan Rakyat MP.The fiscal deficit target of 3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the year has also been revised to 3.2%.Among the money-saving strategies the prime minister announced in the revision were deferring the 2015 National Service to enable the programme to be reviewed and enhanced and optimising outlays on supplies and services, especially overseas travel, events and functions and use of professional services.Najib said the transfers and grants to statutory bodies, government-linked companies and government trust funds, particularly those with a steady revenue stream and high reserves, would also be reviewed.He said the government would also intensify domestic tourism and postpone the scheduled electricity tariff and petrol price hikes for the industrial sector this year.DAP criticised Najib for his "unilateral" revision of the national budget for 2015 after it had been approved by lawmakers last year, saying it showed his "utter contempt" for Parliament. – January 23, 2015.
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น
หมายเหตุ: มีเพียงสมาชิกของบล็อกนี้เท่านั้นที่สามารถแสดงความคิดเห็น