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KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali today accused opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of politicizing the issue by saying that the government should not celebrate the approval of the 2021 Budget too soon as the opposition may still reject it at the committee stage .
“This is not a matter of celebration. The opposition is playing a political game. For us, this is a serious matter, ”he told reporters after a meeting of the Supreme Council of the PPBM tonight.
He said that Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz had taken the initiative to respond to “all questions raised” about the annual budget during his closing speech at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
“Although we normally only respond to questions raised during the debate, new concerns emerged yesterday and the finance minister took responsibility for modifying some provisions as a result of the discussions in Parliament.
“This is a serious matter, and Pakatan Harapan (PH) is playing a political game, especially the leader of the opposition,” he said.
Azmin said that he was confident that all deputies understood the importance of approving the annual budget to help the country fight the Covid-19 pandemic and for economic recovery.
Yesterday, the federal budget worth RM322.5 billion was approved at the policy-making stage after a majority of the MPs present supported it by voice vote.
Dewan Rakyat Chairman Azhar Azizan Harun announced the result of the voice vote on the Supply (Budget) Bill 2021 after Tengku Zafrul presented it for second reading.
Azmin said the budget was aimed at helping people from informal sectors, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or industries that had been affected by the pandemic.
He said the budget had taken into account the views of stakeholders, including the opposition.
“This was the first time we shared (information about) the annual budget with the opposition even before it was presented. PH had not taken such an open stance. “
He added that all ministers had been told to answer questions about the budget at the committee stage.
“We will try our best level to respond and respond to all the questions raised by the deputies,” he said.
