KUALA LUMPUR – Non-government Organisations (NGOs) are called to propose methods for civil society organisations to create a better society to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).
Minister of Finance, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Adbul Aziz, said that as the MOF will soon start the engagement process for the country’s Budget 2023, these proposals would help build a better and more resilient society.
He said that the task is a shared responsibility and thus welcomes proposals from NGOs such as Protect and Save the Children Association (PSC) and Compassionate Care Foundation (CCF).
“Part of MoF’s commitment to sustainable development and building resilience is to create a better, safer and more inclusive society for our children and the underprivileged.
“And while we have made significant progress, particularly in areas such as poverty eradication, public health and well-being, there is always room for improvement;’ he said in his keynote address at the Healing and Empowering Lives Dinner in aid of CCF and PSC.
According to the minister, the MOF has worked on several reform initiatives in the past two years. He said that this paves the way for sustainable socio-economic progress whilst including ways where the NGOs and government could cooperate better in the future.
Aside from that, the ministry has allocated a RM100 million matching for NGOs that has programmes including capacity building and tackling mental health issues through awareness programmes and also after school education and online teaching.
“The MoF is also open to receiving proposals on allocations meant for other purposes for Budget 2023,” he added.
For a sustainable and holistic recovery
Tengku Zafrul also urged NGOs like PSC and CCF to reach out to GLIC/GLC Demi Rakyat dan Negara (GORN) to find out ways on working together to promote specific causes.
The GORN is jointly managed by Yayasan Hasanah and Yayasan TM. It went through a rebranding last month to widen its scope. GORN is also a corporate-social-responsibility related coordination platform that optimises the resources of GLCs and GLICs.
He added that in order to help society recover holistically from COVID-19 and build up Malaysian’s resilience, it is crucial to inculcate sustainable development principles, including prioritising people’s well-being.
“Under the second theme of the 12th Malaysia Plan, which is Strengthening Security, Wellbeing and lnclusivity, one of the key game-changers to strengthen inclusivity and uplift the B40 and vulnerable groups are to address poverty holistically and increase the standard of living of the rakyat,” he said.
In regards to enabling the needy and ensuring their well-being, the minister said that MOF, through Budget 2022, has provided RM2.4 billion in monthly welfare assistance to children, elderly and disabled who are unemployed.
“We have also allocated RM450 million for COVID-19 health kits for 3.6 million B40 families that include face masks, self-test kits, pulse oximeter, and thermometer,” he added.
However, Tengku Zafrul acknowledges that there are always pockets of society that government may not be able to capture in its central database.
“This is where partnerships with NGOs – with its strong ground network – is extremely crucial, particularly to identify those that fall outside the social safety net,” he explained.
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