KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 7): The government has spent over RM700 million on advertising, promotion and publicity, to showcase its administrative achievements between 2020 and 2022, according to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Out of the RM700 million, Anwar stated that RM500 million was earmarked during Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s tenure, with the balance allocated under the administration of Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“This means that, on average, over RM300 million per year has been expended on advertising, promotion and publicity to publicise the government’s efforts. I personally believe this breaches rules and regulations, showing excessive spending,” Anwar said in response to Prabakaran Parameswaran (PH-Batu) during the Prime Minister’s Question Time in Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday.

Considering the government’s commitment to more prudent spending, Anwar said the Unity Government did not allocate funds for publicity in 2023 but continued contracts sealed during Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s administration.

“For 2024, I have also instructed the Ministry of Finance not to approve spending exceeding RM100 million for government announcements and publicity, which is less than half of the previous expenditure,” Anwar added.

While acknowledging the importance of providing explanations and clarifications to the public, Anwar insisted that the government should not be burdened with the tasks of excessive advertising and publicity. Rather, the government can initiate programmes to interact with the rakyat (people) and effectively communicate their messages through various channels, including mass media and social media.

Answering a separate question from Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah (PN-Indera Mahkota), Anwar said that spending during Muhyiddin’s administration was more focused on promoting the prime minister and the government.

“Most of the spending was directly managed by the Prime Minister’s Office, including media purchases, advertising in specific media to promote the prime minister and the government, and ensuring the distribution of billboards,” the prime minister said.

However, Anwar acknowledged that a portion of the spending might have been aimed at informing the public during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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