KUALA LUMPUR – The latest ordinance giving the government a free hand at the country’s coffers has raised the question of whether it could give rise to another 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal, where billions in public funds were abused.
In a joint statement, Parti Warisan Sabah’s Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Muda’s Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman urged Putrajaya to rethink its decision and immediately return checks and balances to Parliament.
“The last time we saw tens of billions of ringgit spent by an executive body without going through (the process of) checks and balances was the 1MDB scandal.
“It seems like the prime minister (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) today has taken strides and is emulating the former prime minister (Datuk Seri Najib Razak), who sacked him before.
“More than politicking, this action will set a bad precedent for the country’s democratic institution.”
Under the latest amendment to the emergency ordinance, the prime minister and heads of state governments are allowed to pass supplementary budgets and use consolidated funds without legislative approval during the emergency period.
The ordinance also grants power to bypass paragraph 4(b) of the Government Funding Act 1983 and paragraph 2(2)(b) of the Treasury Bills (Local) Act 1946 on needing Dewan Rakyat approval for the spending of consolidated funds.
Shafie and Syed Saddiq, who are the MPs of Semporna and Muar, respectively, said the excuse given for the ordinance – that it is meant to curb Covid-19 – does not make sense, as the Budget passed in Parliament last year is sufficient to address the crisis.
If the Perikatan Nasional government feels that the funds are insufficient, they said, it can undertake an austerity measure by reducing the number of ministers and deputy ministers.
“They can start by sacking the deputy minister who ran away from the country for months without feeling guilty,” said the duo, referring to Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Edmund Santhara Kumar, who was in New Zealand for about three months and returned only in March. – The Vibes, April 3, 2021
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