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KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Harapan has urged Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to discuss and negotiate with the opposition before presenting the 2021 budget in parliament next week.
In a joint statement on Thursday (October 29), the PH presidential council said the budget should focus on the needs of the leaders, who were defending Malaysians from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Also (the budget) must set a direction that can ensure that Malaysia will continue to make progress, during and after the pandemic.
“This includes identifying new development strategies for the economy, while helping millions of Malaysians who have been affected by either job or income loss in 2020,” the joint statement said.
READ: While calls for a bipartisan effort toward the 2021 budget are being heeded, Malaysia’s opposition says there is no general support for the PN
The statement was jointly issued by Anwar Ibrahim, who heads Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), along with Lim Guan Eng and Mohamad Sabu from the Democratic Action Party and Parti Amanah Negara, respectively.
The statement added that millions of Malaysians who are now at or below the poverty line expect help through this budget.
“The groups that should not be left behind are also those who hope the credit moratorium will be extended,” he said.
“For these reasons, the PH presidential council fully agrees with the king that it is of utmost importance and seriousness that the budget is negotiated with the opposition before it is presented in parliament,” he added.
The presidential council of PH had previously met at the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya.
The next meeting of parliament on November 2 will see Muhyiddin presenting his first budget, and the exercise is expected to be riddled with haggling and negotiations, as the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government has only a slim two-seat majority.
READ: Muhyiddin dismisses the speaker of parliament with a slim majority in evidence of support
Meanwhile, the country’s economy has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and various lockdowns imposed to combat its spread.
On October 23, Muhyiddin had a special meeting with the King of Malaysia, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, to present proposals to declare a state of emergency amid the worsening COVID-19 situation and ongoing political instability.
However, after the Malay Ruling Council meeting on October 25, the king said that he felt it was not necessary to declare a state of emergency for Malaysia.
Following this rejection, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), after a series of meetings, announced on Monday night that it would continue to support the PN government led by Muhyiddin.
READ: Don’t let political turmoil return during COVID-19 season, Malaysian King tells citizens and politicians
Earlier, it was speculated that some UMNO leaders, including party chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, were behind the idea of supporting Anwar. The latter had previously claimed that he had a majority in terms of parliamentary support.
In light of the events, Anwar issued a statement Tuesday calling for a bipartisan effort for the 2021 budget.
