COMMENT | The administration is stuck between a rock and a hard place as there are countless legacy issues that constrain government spending, in the midst of the growing pressure for intervention to stabilise prices in the market.

Add that to the growing anxiety over the increased cost of living the ringgit slides further. Not to mention the erratic weather patterns and climate-related challenges.

The government cannot just spend its way out of this situation. Government's debt to GDP ratio is at 62 percent (not including contingent liabilities), trending down from a Covid-19 high of 64.5 percent, but still significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels.

To service those debts, the government has allocated 12.6 percent in Budget 2024, or RM49.6 billion,...