BANGI: The Housing and Local Government Ministry has submitted 13 proposed initiatives worth over RM1bil to the Finance Ministry for public infrastructure projects under Budget 2026, says its Minister Nga Kor Ming.
He said the initiatives involve a total of 10,000 projects to be implemented during Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026).
"That is why we have high hopes for tomorrow (Friday, Oct 10)," he told a press conference after officiating a World Environment Health Day event at the Bangi Convention Centre here on Thursday (Oct 9).
"We hope all the initiatives will be accepted by the Finance Ministry," he added.
Budget 2026 will be tabled by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the Dewan Rakyat on Friday.
According to Nga, his ministry decided to carry out 10,000 public infrastructure projects next year following its successful implementation of 6,611 such jobs this year.
"(This is) so that Malaysians can feel the positive change that is taking place rapidly," he said.
Nga said it is important to leave a long-lasting and positive impression on tourists because the government is expecting 40 million international visitors next year.
"In the first six months of this year, 20.6 million international tourists came in, and we expect that by Christmas, the figure will exceed 40 million.
"Next year, we aim to have at least 40 million visitors (who will) generate income of RM154bil. This is huge," he said.
Nga added that in the past two weeks, his ministry has held three international events supported by the United Nations (UN): World Environment Health Day (officially observed on Sept 26), World Habitat Day (Oct 6), and World Cleanup Day (Sept 20).
Here, the last event is observed through Malaysia Cleanup Day, held on the last Saturday of September.
Nga said World Environment Health Day this year consisted of several campaigns under the ministry's Environmental Health Programme, including on dengue prevention, clean markets, rat infestation, stray animal management, and clean toilets in local councils.
"The World Environment Health Day (events) show the ministry’s continuous commitment in strengthening the role of local councils as the front line of upholding public environmental health," he added.
