'Not a single word on progressive wage policy in Budget 2024' - Radzi

KUALA LUMPUR - Putrajaya MP Datuk Radzi Md Jidin has questioned about the proposed implementation of the progressive wage which is not announced in Budget 2024 despite being repeatedly mentioned about earlier.

The former senior education minister said Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli seemed very confident that it would be included in the budget and implemented next year.

However, Radzi found that the proposal was nowhere to be mentioned during the tabling of the budget and hence insisted that the budget should have given a clear picture of the direction and policies that the government wished to adopt.

"Any policy confusion will cause uncertainties among the people, industry players, market analysts as well as capital market participants.

"When Budget 2024 was tabled, not a single word was said about the progressive wage policy, let alone the model and date of its implementation. They were not mentioned at all.

"This policy blunder sends a bad signal to labour and business communities.

"What exactly does the government wish to implement in regards to the progressive wage policy? Is it true that it will involve subsidies and if so, how much?," he said during a debate on the recent budget in the Dewan Rakyat today.

On Aug 24, Rafizi reportedly informed that the progressive wage policy system was approved at the Cabinet level and the details would be presented in Budget 2024.

He said the system was expected to be implemented in April or May next year which called for the policy inclusion in the budget.

However, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim did not touch on the matter when tabling the upcoming budget last Friday.

Meanwhile, Masjid Tanah MP Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin who intervened Radzi in the debate expressed perplexity on how the Pandan MP had been so certain that the new wage system would be included in Budget 2024 when it turned out not to be mentioned at all.

"We had read numerous times the statements made by the Economy Minister regarding progressive wage. He was so confident.

"How are we supposed to answer to the people as many had asked about this?," she said.

Responding further, Radzi suggested that the government hold a detailed discussion on the proposal before making further statements.

"Get the job done properly first... when there is a clear framework, only then, bring it up outside (to the public). The opposition side is ready to support any approach that is good for the people," he added.

Apart from that, Radzi also noted that several measures announced by the government in the tabled budget allegedly did not detail the mechanism including one related to the price of chicken and eggs. - AWANI