He said without political stability, it would be difficult for a government to address the challenges ahead and maintain focus on economic priorities and the people’s welfare.

“If you don’t have political stability, it is very, very difficult to overcome all these challenges,” he said in response to a question from Bernama chairman Wong Chun Wai, who moderated a Concorde Club event titled “War and Tariffs: Our Response” at Wisma Bernama here today.

Johari said the country should prioritise strengthening the economy and safeguarding the people’s wellbeing, especially as Malaysia continues to face fiscal limitations and a persistent budget deficit.

He said heavy subsidies continued to place pressure on government finances, making political stability even more critical to support sound policymaking and effective management of economic challenges.

The Umno vice-president added that he was not referring to any specific incident but speaking in general terms, saying stability must be upheld across the country as a whole.