Anwar said that he has asked deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof to invite opposition MPs for a discussion on the matter but no meeting has taken place.

“This is about projects in areas held by the opposition. When I became prime minister, I said that through negotiations, we can promptly approve projects proposed by the opposition, just like those (proposed by) MPs.

“But until now, the opposition is unwilling to engage in negotiation. They only criticise (the government), accusing us of not granting approvals and calling it ‘oppression’,” he said at a convention in UiTM Merbok.

Anwar, who is also finance minister, said he has given district offices one week to submit a list of important projects in their respective areas to speed up the development process.

“If the project is indeed important and the process is transparent, including the appointment of reasonable contractors, then we can proceed,” he said.

According to Utusan Malaysia, Anwar said he is concerned about development projects that have been abandoned for a long time.

“In fact, I want to assure the district officers not to worry if there are minor technical weaknesses. I have informed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) not to interfere because they should focus on those who are ‘robbing’ the country,” he said.

On Monday, Bernama quoted Anwar as saying that minor infrastructure projects like repairing dilapidated schools will be supervised by the relevant district office or other government departments, instead of the public works department (JKR).

Today, he said all federal projects involving maintenance and repairs valued up to RM1 million can be implemented by the state or district without having to go through JKR and the irrigation and drainage department.

“This flexibility is effective immediately and valid until Dec 31 to ensure these works are completed within the year,” he said.