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YOUR OPINION | “Therefore, the opposition’s request to discuss the budget before its presentation is fair and appropriate.”
Harapan urges prime minister to discuss 2021 budget with opposition
Kit Siang: The government should not expect a ‘blank check’ on support for Budget 2021
IndigoTrout2522: It is important to have a meeting of the Presidential Council of Pakatan Harapan to discuss issues such as the 2021 Budget.
After that, there should be a single voice representing the coalition. Harapan must continue to express his voice and not allow himself to come across as a confused and naive group of leaders.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s advice is for all parties and not just for the opposition. The role of the opposition deputies is to examine the budget and all bills, and make the necessary changes.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin should also approach opposition leaders to discuss and agree on the budget. If it did not, and the budget is not in the rakyat’s interest, opposition MPs have a constitutional responsibility to vote against it.
OrangeViper2887: I agree. I believe that the legitimacy of Muhyiddin and Perikatan Nasional (PN) to rule must first be established. Then the budget debate. Therefore, a “motion of no confidence” or even a “motion of confidence” should be debated and voted on as a priority.
If PN does not have the support of the majority, then it is wrong to give a blank check to the Treasury again. Wild propaganda as if the king had ordered the deputies to approve the budget without regard to the parliamentary process must be questioned.
The intent of Agong’s declaration will evolve around his position as constitutional monarch. We need to clarify the interpretation that was wildly circulated. I am sure that parliamentarians will take note of this and act immediately.
Malaysia Bharu: While Agong has advised MPs to allow the approval of Budget 2021 in Parliament, he has also mentioned the need for checks and balances. Therefore, the opposition’s request to discuss the Budget is fair and adequate.
There is not much time left and Muhyiddin must respond quickly unless he has reservations.
As Agong’s advice is outside the norm or unprecedented, it is the responsibility of the opposition to ensure that Budget 2021 is viable and addresses the needs of the nation and the aspirations of the people in this pandemic environment. The ball is in Muhyiddin’s court.
Raja Chulan: The Agong had given him his advice, or perhaps his opinion. It’s a bit strange in a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy environment like Malaysia.
As @Malaysia Bharu said, unprecedented. Parliamentarians, however, have their responsibilities to their respective constituencies and political parties. They must carry out those responsibilities well, regardless of the insistence of anyone, including the Agong. Everyone must strictly follow our Constitution and the rule of law.
As for Muhyiddin, I think it is highly unlikely that he will discuss the budget with the opposition before he comes to Parliament. The current problem it has with its own component parties of the PN is precisely that of not discussing many issues with them.
Muhyiddin has proven to be pushy. It will be highly unrealistic for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, PKR, Amanah and DAP to expect Muhyiddin to discuss the budget with them.
Head hunter: Yes, the government should not expect a ‘blank check’ as stated by the DAP leader, Lim Kit Siang. The opposition should seize this opportunity to forge a fairer distribution of the budget among all elected members, including those of the opposition.
After all, everyone is chosen by the rakyat to represent them and everyone pays taxes. Time to tackle inequality where members of the opposition stand deprived of development fund for your constituents.
The government should behave like a democratic institution and not like a mafia that protects its own territory.
YellowCarp2301: In fact, Muhyiddin has to heed Agong’s call to immediately discuss and negotiate with the opposition on the content of the 2021 Budget before it is presented to Parliament this Friday, so that it achieves the objectives declared by His Majesty.
Agong has advised all MPs to support the budget for the welfare of the people and has called on lawmakers to put an end to political disputes.
The king has opened the door to all parties for negotiation, the opposition has responded quickly to His Majesty’s advice and asked the prime minister to start discussions on the proposed budget, and the people are waiting for Muhyiddin to reciprocate.
OceanMaster: The world economy is devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to this, the Malaysian economy is based on the export of commodities and manufactured goods. The oil and gas sector is one of the largest revenue generators, but oil prices are the lowest in decades.
Without a clear end to the pandemic, neither the price of oil nor the global economic recovery, 2021 will be one of the worst economic scenarios that we could experience in our lifetime.
Tens of thousands will be unemployed in Malaysia. To make matters worse, the most affected will be the “free agents” and the self-employed who live on daily wages.
To make matters as bad as possible, the Sheraton Move, started by a few greedy and racist politicians at the start of the pandemic, resulted in an extremely weak and unstable backdoor government. The political, economic and social base of the nation is extremely unstable.
There must be two parts to the Budget: a Pandemic Response Budget, which protects people from the consequences of the pandemic, and a Budget that reflects the social reform that the nation so badly requires at this juncture.
The first part of the Budget, as a strategic response to a pandemic, requires a strong bipartisan approach and good political skills from all parties to develop stimulus packages.
The second part of the Budget is much more polarized. With Harapan, philosophy is an equitable position for all, but for PN, and its components, it is about hegemony.
With Muhyiddin and his little Napoleons caught between a rock and a hard place, it will be a frenzied distribution of money and positions to maintain power. I doubt that when the PN is the order of the day, Harapan will make any progress to influence the outcome.
Now you know why a new government is so needed.
YOURS | Budget 2021: will the government cut our oversized cabinet?
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