[ad_1]
There were tense moments before the vote on Budget 2021 in the Dewan Rakyat today (Nov 26) as there were doubts as to whether it would pass or not.
The uncertainty prior to the vote finally gave way to common sense, albeit with some concessions made that quelled the political aim of the dissidents.
The risk of not passing the budget would have been catastrophic on many levels. Politically, the latent issue of stability in the country would increase, but more damage would have been inflicted on the incipient recovery that Malaysia is undertaking.
The huge spending plans were to ensure that Malaysia’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic was not interrupted. Any relapse in the fight against the disease would mean setbacks like the one we have experienced with the resumption of conditional OLS that are seen in many parts of the country.
No federal budget is perfect in terms of the measures and spending plans presented, but to ensure that government continues to function, the real winner is the people.
The bipartisan support for the approval of the Budget showed a certain semblance of political maturity born of political reality, and given the fragility and fluidity of the current situation, the coming together of parties from different sides of the aisle is a welcome revelation.
Checks and balances would certainly be a feature of how the 2021 Budget will be spent, as tacit approval would certainly not mean a lapse of surveillance.
But with the government being transparent about how it has been channeling funds to pull the economy out of pandemic-induced depth, then the hope is to hope that much of that ongoing transparency will continue.
With the gigantic budget of RM322.5bil 2021 now on its way to being deliberated in the Dewan Negara, like all finance bills, the question now is to get that money to start working for the people.
[ad_2]
