KUALA LUMPUR – The federal government’s spending on advertising will not exceed RM100 million next year.
According to the Finance Ministry, the target for next year marks a significant reduction from the amount allocated under previous administrations.
In a statement, the ministry said the government has only used a portion of the surplus funds from the previous administration’s communication contracts, amounting to RM56.9 million for this year.
“Our decision to limit the budget to RM100 million represents a substantial cut, reducing government expenditure on advertising, promotion, and publicity by half compared to the average expenditure in previous years,” it said.
Furthermore, the ministry said no new communication contracts have been awarded in 2023.
The ministry also confirmed that during the tenure of the previous two administrations from 2020 to 2022, the federal government had spent a staggering RM700 million on advertising and promotion work, as revealed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the question time in the Dewan Rakyat last week.
These funds were utilised to publicise the government’s achievements and initiatives across various media platforms, including billboards, print media, electronic media (television and radio), and social media.
The majority of these expenditures were coordinated by the Prime Minister’s Office by the past two administrations. – November 11, 2023