A cornerstone of the Abdullah administration, human capital development remains a work in progress that requires constant and dynamic efforts to bear fruit. It is evident in the Budget that the government remains steadfastly committed to the agenda.

In the competitive and increasingly globalised world, dependence on natural resources is needless to say, dangerous. The one resource available to a nation that is potentially enhancable and sustainable over the long run is human capital. Understanding the role of human capital to the long-term developmental agenda, the Budget sees an astronomical sum of RM47.7 billion being allocated for education and training – accounting for 23% of the total 2009 Budget allocation.

This includes RM31 billion to the Ministry of Education for the benefit of 5.8 million students and RM14.1 billion to the Ministry of Higher Education, which is consistent with the investment in education that has consistently taken a lion’s share in this administration’s strategy for expenditure.

Ultimately, a fair reading of Budget 2009 shows a government sensitive to the people’s needs, without succumbing to overly-populist policies that promise the world in the short-run but relies on little more than fortune in the long-run. Its now up to Hishamuddin, Khaled Nordin and Subramaniam to ensure this budget is spent well on teacher skills development, new curriculum that are relevant to industries, researched based lecturers and scientist to populate our universities and infra upgrades.