The Finance Ministry has never ordered the cancellation of rural road projects, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s senior political adviser Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, amid a dispute over the deferment of new contracts.

According to Bernama, Zafrul said the deferment was intended to prevent outstanding payments to contractors from piling up further.

“The deferment of new contracts does not mean existing projects have been cancelled. The Finance Ministry has never issued any directive to cancel projects.

“These are two different things. That is why the country's finances must be managed prudently, not merely by approving projects but also by ensuring sufficient allocations are available to pay for them,” he said in a social media video today.