Budget 2024: PM Anwar uses rarely heard terms in Budget presentation

KUALA LUMPUR - Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's presentation of the 2024 Budget was coloured with the use of rarely heard terms, or "jargon," in addition to classic Tamil language and Chinese expressions.

Anwar, who is also the Prime Minister, used at least eight unfamiliar words, including "arakian" (then or after that) and "marcapada" (today's world). These words attracted the attention of Dewan Rakyat members.

Anwar also used the words "mahsul," "kesenjangan," "sementelahan," and "walhasil," which are rarely used in formal or daily conversation.

According to Dewan Bahasa Pustaka, "mahsul" means result or income, "kesenjangan" means imbalance, "sementelan" means addition, and "walhasil" refers to the conclusion.

The Tambun MP also used three terms frequently used in previous budget presentation sessions: "ketingang" (compared to), "maha kaya" (almighty), and "kendatipun" (despite).

At the end of the tabling of the Malaysia Madani Budget 2024, Anwar also mentioned the words "intiha" (closure or conclusion) and "taakul" (making judgments or evaluations).