KUALA LUMPUR – Every MP should be given the freedom to support or reject Budget 2021, said Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
“Since the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration was formed on the basis of support from MPs and not a formal, orderly and structured partisan cooperation, why is there a need to insist on voting en bloc?” he said in a statement today.
He added that having a different stance is not a treasonous act, but that blind compliance is the greatest form of treachery.
“The people did not elect an MP to be a representative that is detached and abandons the people’s will.”
Pointing towards fostering bipartisan political practices, Khaled said there has to be a national consensus that transcends political ideologies to protect national interests.
“En bloc support for a proposal in Parliament does not necessarily reflect the strength of a party.
“Instead, it shows that the party does not have diverse ideas and stance, and the members have no freedom to express their own opinions democratically.”
While agreeing that Budget 2021 has many benefits, Khaled has previously expressed desire that certain improvements be considered by Parliament.
Last Wednesday, Malaysiakini had reported PN Backbenchers Club chairman Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim as saying in the Dewan Rakyat that “anyone who rejects the budget (in the Dewan Rakyat) will be a traitor to the people because the people are waiting for the budget”.
The Dewan Rakyat is set to vote on the budget on November 26.
Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz tabled the budget on November 6 with a total allocation of RM322.5 billion.
The federal government drew criticism over some of the allocations, particularly RM85.5 million for the Special Affairs Department (Jasa), among others.
Observers have said the prime minister will face a serious test of leadership if Budget 2021 is defeated as it is tantamount to a no-confidence vote and, therefore, a collapse in government.
Unlike previous prime ministers, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has a razor-thin two-seat majority in the Dewan Rakyat. – The Vibes, November 21, 2020
