[UPDATED] Ismail Sabri confirms plan to table Budget 2023 instead of finance minister

PUTRAJAYA – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has confirmed claims that he might consider breaking an agelong convention and table the upcoming national budget himself.

This follows his predecessor Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s remark last Saturday that Ismail Sabri might take that responsibility off the shoulders of the finance minister, who has been tasked with its tabling for decades.

However, the Bera MP said the matter will have to be studied first, to see if it is allowed under the federal constitution.

Ismail Sabri added that he would be waiting for advice from the Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun on the matter before making a final decision. 

“It’s not certain yet. At the moment, it is still the finance minister, as per usual. We have to look at in terms of our federal constitution and our law. If it’s impossible, then I can’t (table). 

“If it’s possible, I’ll consider it,” he told reporters after attending the 18th Civil Service Premier Assembly here today.

Ismail Sabri was responding to Muhyiddin’s statement during the Perikatan Nasional convention on Saturday that he had been informed the former would table Budget 2023 in October, in place of Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz. 

The Bersatu president said this, together with the fact that the tabling has been moved forward to October 7 from 28, is a strong indication that Parliament could be dissolved immediately after. 

“I was told by a cabinet member that the prime minister will table the budget, which is normally done by the finance minister. Usually, the budget is also tabled at the end of October, but it has been moved to October 7. 

“Why do you think they are doing that? I’m not very smart, but I think that there is a huge possibility that after the tabling, there won’t be any debates, and Parliament will be dissolved the next day,” Muhyiddin had said.

The Dewan Rakyat was initially scheduled to sit from October 25 to December 15. With the change in date for the budget’s tabling, proceedings will now commence earlier, beginning October 3. 

If Ismail Sabri does indeed table the supply bill, this will break the longstanding convention of the finance minister handling the role, noticeably because the latter takes part in the consultations prior to the preparation of the document. 

The exception to this is when the prime minister had also held the finance portfolio, as was the case during Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s tenure.

Tengku Zafrul had tabled the last two budgets under Muhyiddin’s and Ismail Sabri’s administrations. – The Vibes, August 30, 2022