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KUALA LUMPUR: Lawmakers from Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) reserve the right to support or reject the 2021 budget, says Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad (Photo).
“I reserve the right and that of my party to support or not support the 2021 Budget of Perikatan Nasional.
“I hope that my good proposals in the House will be given a place in the 2021 Budget,” he said while debating the budget at Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (November 12).
Pejuang, who has not yet registered, has four independent MPs.
In his speech, Dr. Mahathir said that he was initially impressed by the huge budget announcement totaling RM322.5bil, but noted that no mention was made of how the government is raising revenue for that purpose.
He said there was no need for such a large budget unless it is intended to help people and the economy in the midst of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said that the allocations for the development of government offices had been increased by 520% from the budget, including the budget for the Prime Minister’s Department.
“RM160mil for office development, RM64.4mil for International Trade and Industry office abroad, RM231mil for Interior Ministry office and many others.
“The allocation for the Prime Minister’s Department has also increased from RM7.9 billion in 2020 to RM11.7 billion,” he said, also questioning the allocation of RM100 thousand for special projects under the department, “he said.
He said such spending could be postponed for now, adding that the allocation of RM3bil, or one percent of the budget, to combat the pandemic did not reflect the government’s seriousness in tackling the problem.
Dr. Mahathir also suggested reducing the number of ministers in the cabinet as many were not working due to the pandemic, adding that ministers should also accept a 30% pay cut.
“In the Covid-19 era. I don’t think ministers will starve to a 30% pay cut,” he said.
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