KUALA LUMPUR – Neither the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim nor the opposition should take Budget 2023 as an opportunity to rest on its laurels for the upcoming elections in six states, said political analysts.
Noting that voters are unlikely to be swayed from their political stance by the offerings or lack thereof in the budget, they also said Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Anwar and his administration should remain on their toes going into the state elections.
The heads of the governments of Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu had recently agreed to consider dissolving their respective state assemblies in the last two weeks of June.
For National Council of Professors senior fellow Prof Jeniri Amir, the budget will probably be understood as a presentation of how Putrajaya intends to aid citizens instead of a showy display of election goodies.
“The focus of the budget is on actions (set to be taken by the government) on how to revive the economy after the Covid-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on reducing the burden faced by the people because of an economic crisis.
He also labelled the budget as being a “very small factor” towards influencing voter sentiments, saying: “It will take more than the budget to swing voters (towards or away from current state administrations).”
“State elections are still far away...they won’t happen tomorrow or even within the next month,” he added. “Support for the government of the day is not entirely based on the budget alone, as there are various other factors that voters consider when deciding who gets their vote.”
Commenting on several initiatives announced in the budget, Jeniri commended the government for its people-centric narrative, pointing to the planned one-off RM500 injection for Employees Provident Fund members with savings below RM10,000 in their Account 1.
‘Nothing groundbreaking’
Expressing similar sentiments, Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Azmil Tayeb asserted that the subsidy programs outlined in the budget are “nothing groundbreaking” and is unlikely to paint PH in a better light in the eyes of PAS backers in states held by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) component party.
The political scientist also predicted that the budget will contribute little towards preventing PN from riding on the “green wave” brought about by a surge of support for PAS in northern and east coast states during the recent general election (GE15).
The scenario, he said, is compounded by how Barisan Nasional (BN) linchpin Umno, which is a member of the federal unity government, appears to not be making inroads on recovering from GE15, which saw the party’s worst electoral performance since its formation.
“Subsidy programmes, including allocations for ‘wang ihsan’ (compassionate funds) to (PAS-held) Kelantan and Terengganu, are what we typically find in any given budget.
“It’s highly likely the PN green wave will persist, especially when Umno is still unreformed, which is the reason why many Malay voters chose PN (during GE15).”
Further explanation needed
On the other hand, Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Azmi Hassan said the budget could be utilised to garner voter support if Anwar and his cabinet members are quick to explain its strategies to better citizens’ living conditions.
Citing the 3.3% inflation rate experienced by the nation, with food-related inflation at a high of 5.8%, Azmi said the people should be informed on how the government intends to reduce the figures to a more “palatable” percentage.
“On the surface, there is nothing much (to the budget), but we cannot analyse it in further detail, because (Anwar’s) speech only contained the framework (for planned allocations and incentives).
“(Anwar) and his government backbenchers will now have to explain to the people the details of the budget, especially how it intends to bring down inflation rates.
“If they manage to do this, then maybe once state elections are upon us, voters will realise that this is the government that they need,” he said, warning that a lack of information dissemination might lead to PN “capitalising” on the dropped ball by labelling Anwar an “incapable” leader.
This year’s budget plan is the unity government’s inaugural fund allocation under Anwar’s leadership, with a total of RM386.14 billion in allocations being revised.
Grants announced during the supply bill’s tabling include financial aid of up to RM2,500 for B40 families and a two-percentage-point tax rebate for the M40.
Other announcements include the introduction of luxury taxes – instead of reimplementing wide, consumer-based taxes such as the goods and services tax – and restructuring of Bumiputera investment organisations, incentives for employers, and development funds for Sabah and Sarawak. – The Vibes, February 26, 2023
