BUDGET 2024 that was tabled recently had nothing outstanding to shout about.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim missed a golden opportunity to make some drastic policy changes that could have benefitted the public better.

For a start, he should have reintroduced the broad-based goods and services tax (GST) to increase the government revenue and address leakages in terms of unpaid taxes.

It is only fair that everyone pays a consumption tax, save on the exempted essentials.

He could have initiated the tax within a 4-6% bracket and abolished the sales and service tax (SST) in tandem.

While he increased the SST from 6 to 8%, the budget lacked the details as to how the current system will clamp on the black economy.

Anwar seems not to have a focused view on handling the woes of the country, especially on the issues of economy, finances and even social-related matters.

The perception on the ground is that he is still groping in the dark with his team, which is equally looking blank in terms of coming up with well-founded policies for the short- and long-term period.

No doubt Anwar has come out guns blazing on the issue of corruption but that alone will not solve the ever-rising cost of living plaguing the ordinary folk.

While cash handouts and the budget-straining subsidies do bring some relief, all are aware that this route of problem solving will eventually dig us into a bigger pit of financial distress in the long run.

The talk on targeted subsidies has been on the table for far too long.

Ministers after ministers have been making statements and promises to get rid of blanket subsidies, and yet nothing has materialised.

All that we get are knee-jerk and extremely short-sighted solutions.

The concerns on business monopolies, cartels, ill-managed and loss-making government-linked companies (including their subsidiaries) and little Napoleons in the civil service need to be tackled with determination.

Stop this culture of mollycoddling and hoping that things will eventually take a turn for the better. Heads must roll when things go south.

There is no point presenting piles of reports of mismanagement of funds and allocations in parliament year in and year out via the Auditor-General’s Report, while those responsible for major non-compliance are not penalised adequately.

Having said that, the prime minister also needs to seriously look into his cabinet make-up.

It is quite obvious that he needs to quickly reshuffle his cabinet and not keep postponing it.

Keeping the current line-up is not only denting his ranking in the public eye but also costing the people significantly.

With the exception of a handful of the current ministers, the majority seem to be deadwood.

Though it is difficult to swallow the bitter truth, it is high time Anwar faces it sooner than later.

There is no doubt that he is dependent on the support of the various parties in his unity government but it should never come at the expense of the people.

If a minister’’s score card is unsatisfactory, sack him or her and do us all a favour.

As mentioned in the beginning, Budget 2024 was rather mundane but Anwar still has time to get his balancing right, provided he takes some really bold steps.

Otherwise he faces an uphill task come the next general election, which we hope will not be sooner than anticipated! – October 26, 2023.

* Narinder Pal Singh reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.