This is to enable money to be channelled for the welfare of the people, apart from efforts for the country’s economic recovery, said economic affairs minister Mustapa Mohamed.

He said the move was in response to a directive issued via the Malaysia Treasury Circular: Guidelines on Public Expenditure Savings.

“I have held meetings with the public works department (JKR) and the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) on the financial position to see the projects that have yet to commence.

“Hence, if a project is just about to start, there is no need to continue. If something has already started, we will discuss which developments we need, whether to defer or cancel.”

He said this to reporters after the closing ceremony of the Labour Market Seminar, and the presentation of the findings of the state Outreach Job Seeker Profiling 2022, in conjunction with the Keluarga Malaysia Career Carnival at Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus here today.

Also present were Social Security Organisation (Socso) employment information analysis services division head Ummar Jai Kumar Abdullah and the Kelantan Socso director Nora Yaacob.

On Friday, the media reported that all ministries, departments, agencies, federal statutory bodies and companies limited by guarantee had been instructed, via the Malaysia Treasury Circular, to implement internal austerity measures by optimising their spending.