2 days ago
Should or shouldn't RM21m be spent on ‘kenduri Madani' amid depleting nation's wealth?
PERHAPS the concerns are real if pitted against the backdrop of the Madani government having taken another RM4.5 bil of debt on Wednesday (Aug 7) which pushes the total net government bond borrowings in 2025 to RM85.78 bil which already exceeded the 2025 deficit target of RM80 bil.
But at micro level, man-on-the-street Malaysians have a field day trading thoughts on the recent revelation by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof that the federal government spent over RM21 mil on the Madani Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations in 2024 and 2025 across seven states.
The point of contention is that the cost was fully funded without private sponsorships or GLC (government-linked company) contributions.
Despite Fadillah justifying that the celebrations followed a nationwide format introduced in 2023 which is unlike the 2022 Klang Valley-only event which incurred a higher cost of RM11 mil, prominent Madani government critic Jaywalker (@jaywalkertoto) tended to view forking out RM21 mil as a 'wastage'.
'RM21 mil for a Kemduri Madani, zero from GLCs, 100% tabung rakyat (taxpayers'' money),' he lambasted on X in a reaction to a post by BFM News (@NewsBFM).
RM21 million for Madani kenduri, zero from GLCs, 100% tabung rakyat??!! Meanwhile, 60% of msians can't survive a rm1000 emergency!! Unity isn't built on buffet lines & it is buried under unpaid bills & shrinking savings!!!
— Jaywalker (@jaywalkertoto) August 6, 2025
'Meanwhile, 60% of Malaysians can't survive a RM1,000 emergency! Unity isn't built on buffet lines & it is buried under unpaid bills & shrinking savings!'
Probably depending on one's political affiliation, the poster's rigid view has its supporters with one commenter ticking off the Madani government 'for always setting the wrong priorities' given the RM21 mil could be better channelled 'to sponsor young people to enter university'.
However, the proponents claimed that the kenduri Madani bash – apart from delighting and feeding the masses – has benefitted many vendors ranging from caterers to logistics provider, event companies and cleaning service firm, hence ensuring employment for their staff who include artists and entertainers.
After all, apart from oiling the economy, most of the industry players involved in facilitating the kenduri Madani are Bumiputera entrepreneurs.
Another commenter worked out the maths that it would only cost 'around RM1.5 mil each' to stage 14 kenduri Madani events over the two-year period.
'I think that's still better than the previous single-location Raya open house in Putrajaya that cost over RM10 mil,' he rationalised.
'I'm not saying it's okay but it's an improvement. Hopefully, from next year onwards, they can bring the costs down further.'
The bottom line as mooted by one commenter is that 'it's all normal to budget for entertainment' but cautioned that. although government's spending plays a role in fuelling the economy, 'just don't spend too much when there are other more important things to focus on'. – Aug 9, 2025
Main image credir: TV3
