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KUALA LUMPUR: The Speaker of the Malaysian Parliament stated that the 2021 budget was approved on Thursday (Nov 26).
The Supply Bill was passed with a voice vote, based on the legislators verbally indicating whether they support the budget or not. No block vote was taken.
With the budget now approved at the policy stage, the committee stage debate will take place from next week until December 15.
During the committee stage, each ministry’s budget would be analyzed in detail.
The vote on the Supply Bill has largely been seen as a vote of confidence in the government of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who replaced the former Pakatan Harapan in an abrupt political change in February and March this year.
Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition has a very small majority over the opposition.
The parliament has 222 seats, but there are currently 220 MPs following the deaths of opposition MP Liew Vui Keong and MP Hasbullah Osman from Barisan Nasional (BN).
READ: While calls for a bipartisan effort towards the 2021 budget are being heeded, Malaysia’s opposition says there is no general support for the PN
The RM322.5 billion (US $ 79 billion) budget, the largest budget ever presented in Malaysia, was presented in parliament on November 6 as the country was recovering from the economic impact of COVID-19.
It was also the first Malaysian budget that the government consulted with opposition members in the run-up to the budget presentation. The Malaysian king has urged politicians on both sides of the political divide to support the budget for the welfare of the people and the economic recovery of the country.
The budget has seen intense debate at the policy stage over different allocations, including a proposed allocation of RM85.5 million (US $ 20.7 million) for the government’s “propaganda arm,” the Department of Special Affairs. (JASA).
Politicians from both the opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) and BN, an ostensible ally of the PN coalition, have also called for certain provisions to be included in the budget.
This photo from the Malaysia Department of Information brochure taken and released on November 6, 2020 shows Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (left) and Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz (right) posing for photographs with the 2021 national budget after its presentation in parliament in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo: Malaysia Information Department / AFP / Nazri Rapaai)
From PH, politicians have demanded that six points be included in the budget. One of them was to extend the credit moratorium, which was implemented from April to September of this year, until the end of the first quarter of next year.
BN politicians, including former Prime Minister Najib Razak, also called for the moratorium, which is now specifically implemented, to be extended until the end of June 2021.
READ: BN’s support for the 2021 budget depends on the withdrawal of the retirement fund and the extension of the loan moratorium, says Najib
The coalition’s backbencher club also requested that account holders of the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) be able to withdraw up to RM 10,000 from their Account 1, which normally imposes strict conditions for early withdrawal.
Before the vote, BN ministers and deputy ministers in Muhyiddin’s cabinet issued a joint statement on Tuesday proclaiming their support for Muhyiddin, but also called for general elections to be held once the public health situation was under control.
PN Backbenchers Club also expressed support for the budget approval.
On the other hand, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said that he and “his friends” have decided to reject the budget.
Veteran BN legislator Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has chosen to abstain from the budget debate as long as the legitimacy of Muhyiddin and his cabinet is not tested.
RULES FOR WITHDRAWAL FROM THE RELAXED PENSION FUND
Concluding the debate just before Thursday’s vote, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz announced that the pension fund withdrawal program is now open to all members whose income has been affected by the pandemic.
The withdrawal limit has been raised to RM10,000 from EPF Account 1, he said, in a move that will benefit 8 million EPF members. Previously, the withdrawal limit was RM9,000 for those with an account balance below RM90,000.
The Finance Minister also announced that he has prepared a motion to reduce the allocation for JASA, which the government previously announced would change its name to the Department of Community Communications (J-KOM).
It will be announced later during the committee stage debate, he added.
