KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz has called for the setup of an effective monitoring system to track how government allocations are spent.
She said there should also be a periodic feedback mechanism so that potential misappropriation of funds is caught early on.
Rafidah, who is a former international trade and industry minister, said Malaysia currently lacks such a system to prevent misappropriation and corrupt practices.
"Monitor and track every step where the allocations go and how they are spent. There should be a periodic feedback mechanism to catch any misappropriation of funds early on.
"This could be done once every 6 or even 3 months, not wait for five years to get feedback. Currently, we don't have this type of system in place," she said.
She was speaking at the launch of the book, 'Fathers and Their Wisdom: By Sons and Daughters'' at the Royal Lake Club here today.
Commenting on the 2025 Budget, tabled in the Dewan Rakyat last week, she said effective enforcement is key to ensuring that the various government allocations go to the right places.
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The government may be well-meaning but care must be taken with enforcement so that there are no leaks or misappropriation of funds.
"Allocations have to be equitable, those who deserve should get, those who don't shouldn't.
"Enforcement is the key factor," she said.
Rafidah said the federal budget should not be utilised to fish for votes and to garner support from the grassroots alone.
All strata of Malaysians, she said, should benefit through fair and equitable distribution.
"Let it be fair and don't squeeze the groups at the top just because we think they're rich.
"If we press on them then the businesses may be affected," she said.
She said businesses need to flourish, otherwise, those involved would be demotivated to further develop their businesses, leading to a potentially negative effect on the economy.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar, during the 2025 Budget tabling, said subsidies would be gradually reduced for the T15 income category, with the savings used to improve infrastructure for boarding schools and public universities.
The affected subsidies, he said, would include education, healthcare and RON95 petrol.
He said the targeted subsidy plan for RON95 fuel will be introduced in the middle of next year.
On Sunday, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said the definition of the T15 income category would not be based solely on gross household income and would take into account variables such as net household income, locality, basic household spending for a reasonable quality of life, and others.