KUALA LUMPUR: Senior Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali today accused opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of politicising the issue by saying the government should not celebrate the passing of Budget 2021 too soon as the opposition may still reject it at the committee stage.
“This is not a question of celebration. A political game is being played by the opposition. To us, this is a serious matter,” he told reporters after a PPBM Supreme Council meeting this evening.
He said Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz had taken the initiative to answer “every issue raised” about the annual budget during his winding-up speech in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
“Even though we usually only reply to the issues that are brought up during the debate, yesterday new concerns were raised and the finance minister took the responsibility to amend a few provisions as a result of the debates raised in Parliament.
“This is a serious matter, and Pakatan Harapan (PH) is playing a political game, especially the opposition leader,” he said.
Azmin said he was confident that all MPs understood the importance of passing the annual budget to help the country fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and for economic recovery.
Yesterday, the federal budget worth RM322.5 billion was passed at the policy stage after the majority of MPs present supported it through a voice vote.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun announced the outcome of the voice vote on the Supply Bill (Budget) 2021 after Tengku Zafrul tabled it for second reading.
Azmin said the budget was aimed at helping individuals from the informal sectors, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or industries that had been affected by the pandemic.
He said the budget had taken into consideration the views of stakeholders, including the opposition.
“This was the first time we shared with the opposition (information on) the annual budget before it was even tabled. PH had not taken such an open stance.”
He added that all ministers had been told to respond to questions over the budget at the committee stage.
“We will try our level best to answer and reply to all the issues raised by the MPs,” he said.