Malaysian youths pin high hopes on the 2023 Budget

SHAH ALAM - From greater employment opportunities to higher salaries with more economic stabilisation, Malaysian youths are expecting an array of goods for the upcoming 2023 Budget that is scheduled to be tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Feb 24.

Asma Habib, 24, commented that Malaysia's economy had improved a lot in terms of job opportunities, currency value and growth despite the global headwinds.

"From what I read, Bank Negara Malaysia stated that our gross domestic product has increased." Speaking on the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawals, she expressed her hope for the unity government would provide an option for the rakyat because it was one of the efforts that could improve the economy.

"However, I believe not everyone will be able to earn money all the time, especially after the pandemic last year, so I hope that the government can give an option to withdraw money only for emergencies such as floods," added Asma, who is a corporate affairs executive in Kuala Lumpur.

Besides the increase in employment opportunities and higher wages, Asma added that there should be more allocations for the education sector.

"Not to mention the education sector, which will benefit from increased internet access, particularly in rural areas such as Sabah and Sarawak.

"The government should learn from the pandemic where students in rural areas had limited access to study, and it was so sad for them," she added.

Echoing Asma’s view, Luqman Nurhakim Kasim, 24, also agreed that the unity government should place more emphasis on the education sector, where several things should be outlined as priorities.

"Education is the main key to the success of a country. It is crucial for the government to provide conducive learning and internet access for students," he stressed.

Luqman, who is also a human resources executive based in Johor, expressed his confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Anwar.

"If we look at his report on 8.7 per cent economic growth for 2022, it shows the recovery of consumer, business, and investor confidence in the national economy, and we are moving to the next step of more sustainable economic stability.

"Furthermore, economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2022 exceeded the 6.5 to 7.0 per cent forecast in October 2022, so in my opinion, we should put our trust in the government to plan and move economic growth in a more positive direction," he added.

Meanwhile, Asyraf Malik, 24, commented that the current economic situation was still bearable even though an economic recession was initially expected this year.

"However, in my opinion, the financial gap among the people is still significant, especially in the household income classification," added Asyraf, who is a journalist based in Selangor.

Asyraf expressed his hope that the 2023 Budget would focus on the youth, although admittedly there are still many other groups in society that also need attention.

"Malaysian youths are the pillar of the country's economy."