[ad_1]
PETALING JAYA: Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said today that he told Pakatan Harapan MPs to allow the 2021 budget to pass the first vote, but to mount a fight in the next committee stage debate on Monday .
He said that although the finance minister had given in to “some” demands made by PH, the opposition coalition was inclined to reject the budget.
Anwar said the opposition’s nod to approval at the policy stage was to allow civil service salaries, allowances and other payments to be made.
“While some decisions made by the finance minister seem to respond to some of our demands, we cannot forcefully reject them, so I told our friends to agree to the first round.
“This is the first round, the detailed discussion of the committee stage is Monday,” he said today at a press conference in Parliament.
He added that they would probably ask for a block vote then.
He said that December 15 was the “maximum date” on which the destination of the budget would be decided.
Anwar also expressed concern about the budget presented by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz, saying it was highly unrealistic. He said projected revenue, which was estimated higher than in 2019, was cause for concern.
“There are improvements but there are no detailed figures. We hope the minister is clear about it. Give us numbers. How can you say there is no increase when you are clearly spending more? ” I ask.
He said there were some PH demands that were not included in the budget, such as addressing non-Malaysian concerns and including other “acceptable measures” for the rakyat.
Anwar said the RM10,000 EPF withdrawal was good but appeared to be “weak”. He said that Zafrul had agreed that the loan moratorium would be extended, adding: “Everything will be known at the committee stage.”
Anwar was then asked whether the approval of the budget by the opposition in the political stage was done out of respect for Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s call for MPs to approve the budget.
He said the palace had also asked for inclusion and a budget focused on Covid-19, which it said was not the case.
Anwar also criticized President Azhar Harun for trying to limit the debate, saying he was “blatantly biased” by interrupting Zafrul to ask him to “sum up everything.”
“I want to notify, I want to alert the president, please use your powers responsibly and make sure there is a proper avenue for MPs to express their views.”
We are live on Telegram, subscribe here for the latest news and announcements.
