Minister of Finance Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz says Malaysia should address inequalities from the perspective of addressing human rights.
“As such, it is imperative for us to move from looking at addressing inequality merely as a form of charity, to addressing inequalities from the perspective of addressing human rights. It is about Social Justice.
“In essence, Budget 2022 had been crafted by the people, and hence it is a budget from the people and for the people as the budget builds upon three key pillars namely Strengthening Recovery, Building Resilience, and Driving Reforms, and has three focus areas; The Rakyat’s Well Being, Resilient Businesses, and A Prosperous and Sustainable Economy. I wish to reiterate that this government is committed to the well-being of its citizens.
“Only in working together as a family, we are able to achieve the objective of From Charity to Justice, which is this inaugural Hasanah Forum’s theme foundations are laid for a future where all segments of society have access to wealth-building opportunities, and prosperity is shared by one and all so that eventually none of our ‘family members will be left behind,” he says.
He was speaking at the launch of Hasanah Forum 2021 today, “It is timely for Yayasan Hasanah to organise this forum as we reflect on these difficult times. The years 2020 and 2021 were challenging for the world, as well as for Malaysia.
“We have endured the trials and tribulations of an unprecedented pandemic that no one could have predicted, which has tested us both personally and collectively as a nation.”
The theme of the forum, premised on the principle that every human being has the right to live with dignity, is very much on point.
On another note, 95 percent of Malaysian adults and 65 percent of adolescents are now fully vaccinated, placing Malaysia’s vaccination rate among the highest in the world, he noted at the forum.
