When 'penjimatan' is a bad word

A friend of mine works for an MNC. She shared how the budget for the following year has been slashed despite spending less than the earlier projected budget this year. The excuse by her regional bosses, "if you could do it with X amount, strive to do it lesser than X amount next year."

She strongly believes that those who save money should be incentivised - so that funds can be better spent.

I think so too.

Sadly, the word "savings" or "penjimatan" is frowned upon even by civil servants, for fear of budget cuts the following year. It's almost like a bad word.

This despite the fact that tax payers' will be happy to note that the government and its agencies, are for once, saving money instead of overspending.

So I guess, the diplomatic phrase to use is "perbelanjaan berhemah" or "prudent expenditure".

Such "perbelanjaan berhemah" is seen in this year's edition of the Malaysia Games that ends tomorrow. 

It has had its fair share of drama, namely concerning athletics and weightlifting, but overall the 2022 Sukma is RM57 million cheaper than the previous edition in Perak. Isn't that a whole lot of savings that can be better spent on grassroots development for ALL sports (and not just football)?

It's important to jimat, especially after what our finance minister who loves to cycle said two days ago: 

“Next year will be challenging. What is happening in the US, China, and Europe will have an impact on the global economy, including Malaysia.”

We also need to save, as Malaysia is set to host the 2027 SEA Games. Who knows, the 2027 SEA Games could be held elsewhere ... say, Johor? The Federal government will surely need the funds to build the infrastructure.

Speaking about Johor, the next in line to be the Yang diPertuan Agong is the Sultan of Johor. Given his interest in sports, and that of his son - the Crown Prince of Johor - I'm sure the Malaysian sporting landscape will be interesting when the Johor royal family occupy Istana Negara.