He said this goes to show that Pakatan Harapan’s first ever budget after winning the general elections on May 9 appreciates the contributions made by former military men.

He was also pleased that emoluments for his staff were not affected by cuts in Budget 2019.

“What’s affected are assets and equipment.

“Despite the cuts, we’ll ensure the armed forces are always in a prepared state,” he told reporters after the tabling of Budget 2019.

Getting trust of foreign investors

Meanwhile, Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali was confident Budget 2019 will go down well with local and foreign investors.

He said contrary to claims made by opposition lawmakers, Budget 2019 will generate solid economic growth.

He said there was focus on the bottom 40% (B40) income earners as well as the middle 40% (M40).

“It will increase their household income and generate growth in facing the current economic situation.

“All ministries must be responsible for monitoring the allocations given so that the funds are channelled to the target groups without any leakage.

“We want these programmes to be implemented efficiently and responsibly,” he said.