COMMENT | Budget 2021: A rich man's budget for a hard-pressed people

COMMENT | Malaysia's Budget 2021 was eagerly awaited as it was meant to be extraordinary given the circumstances of Covid-19. What was announced was rather ordinary and not what many expected.

1. Budget lacking strategy

Directionally, the budget lacked a strategy on how the country intends to reopen the economy amidst the pandemic. What Malaysia is facing is not unique. What will separate Malaysia from other countries is how quickly they ma..nage the pandemic and reopen the economy and their borders to have some semblance of the past within the new norm. What I would have liked to see is the budget being broken down to short, medium and longer-term initiatives.

2. Right people to benefit from social support initiatives

As expected, there were many initiatives for social support such as one-off cash handouts, wage subsidies and others. The key here is how effective the government's data is to ensure the right beneficiaries are enjoying this.

Many in the B40 (bottom 40 percent households) are small business owners who rely on daily income to survive. They are most affected by the lockdown that was imposed. The B40 requires monthly cash assistance, not one-offs. This also opens up the debate...