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PETALING JAYA: Former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad attacked government leaders today, telling them to stop trying to scare people with baseless statements.
He said this in response to statements by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz that Putrajaya will not be able to pay civil service salaries if the budget is not approved by Dewan Rakyat.
“That statement is intended to restrict parliamentarians from fulfilling their duties to ensure that the budget meets the interests of the people and not the interests of the ruling party,” Mahathir said.
He said that Tengku Zafrul and other government leaders were being “very irresponsible” in making statements to “threaten” MPs with passing the budget despite their weaknesses.
“If this is the position of the finance minister and government leaders, it means that parliamentarians should give (the government) a blank check and support the budget.”
Yesterday, Mahathir’s party, Pejuang, said that the emoluments of civil servants and the expenses of the front-line, including medical and health equipment, will not be affected if the budget is rejected.
Citing Article 102, Pejuang said that the federal Constitution allows a new government to replace the government of Perikatan Nasional (PN) to present a new budget.
Other MPs and groups have also voiced their objection to Tengku Zafrul’s statement, with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim among the first to strike.
