KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 29): The Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) has expressed its disappointment over the lack of new mega infrastructure projects in pump priming to revive the Malaysian construction industry in Budget 2022.

In a statement, MBAM said it is thankful to the government for some of the construction projects announced in the budget, saying these small projects would benefit mainly the G1 to G4 categories of contractors.

However, it said these projects are insufficient for the construction industry at large, the association said.

“Generally, MBAM was expecting a more uplifting 2022 budget announcement for the construction industry. Disappointingly, there were no announcements of new mega infrastructure projects to pump prime the revival of the Malaysian construction industry.”

The association went on to appeal to the government to provide more assistance for the construction industry to revive and sustain the construction sector.

Noting that the construction industry is in need of new foreign workers now to help with the recovery, MBAM also hoped that the government could expedite the process to bring in foreign labourers.

On another matter, MBAM expressed support for the budget proposal to upskill local talents through the continuation of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme, as the construction industry is still over-dependent on unskilled foreign labour.

“We really hope that this initiative will prepare the industry with more local talent to overcome the shortage of foreign workers. This however will take a long time into the far future,” it added.

See more Budget 2022 highlights here.