PUTRAJAYA, Sept 20 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has directed all agencies and statutory bodies to obtain approval from their respective ministers for overseas trips to help reduce national debt, announced Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

Fahmi, who also serves as the spokesperson for the Unity Government, explained that the prime minister sees the need to reassess various aspects, including overseas trips, to ensure better management and governance.

"As we work to reduce the national debt, the prime minister has highlighted the need to review areas such as overseas visits. There must be a rationale for these trips, and reductions and savings must be considered.

"Improvements in delivery, project mechanisms, and ensuring no delays, postponements, or failed projects are also equally important. The prime minister wants to ensure that every ringgit of public funds is well-spent,” he told reporters after the Ministry’s monthly assembly today.

Fahmi said that statutory bodies such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) would need his approval for overseas trips.

"I have asked the ministry’s secretary-general (Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa) to follow up with the Chief Secretary to the Government to ensure strict governance, orderliness, and no violations,” he added. — Bernama