KUALA LUMPUR – It must have felt like a slap in the face for Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his Perikatan Nasional government listening to Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Budget 2021 debate yesterday.
Less than two weeks after being appointed Barisan Nasional backbenchers’ club chairman, Najib was given the mandate to be the government’s opening debater for the Budget.
He would have been the last person Muhyiddin wanted to do this, seeing as to how the former prime minister has been rubbing shoulders with opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
It did not take long to realise that Najib is not out to please Muhyiddin and PN. From the start of his speech, the Pekan MP had very few, if any, good things to say about Budget 2021.
Instead of voicing his support for the Budget, as is traditionally the case for any government’s main debater, Najib ended his speech with a firm warning that BN will not vote for the Budget unless the coalition’s conditions are met.
This is especially peculiar considering BN just last week pledged to support the Budget, following a decree by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong late last month.
Whether yesterday’s “threat” is BN’s “statement of intent” towards Muhyiddin’s government over who is in power, is a story best kept for another day.
What is more interesting is how Najib’s Budget debate seemed to strike the same note as the tone set by Anwar on Monday.
The Port Dickson MP himself said the opposition might reject the Budget if its suggestions are not included.
Among other things, he spoke about allowing people to withdraw their Employees Provident Fund savings, and called for an extension of the blanket loan moratorium – the very two conditions set out by Najib and BN.
Anwar took a swipe at Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, telling him to think less like a banker and more like a minister. Being a former finance minister himself, Anwar’s admonishment resonated with the masses.
The most interesting takeaway, however, is how MPs from both PKR and BN did not have a go at each other when the two leaders were speaking, whether out of respect or by agreement.
In past years, it would have been the norm to see lawmakers interjecting, interfering, and hurling abuse and accusations at the opposite bench, in particular, at the two main debaters.
In fact, the condescending voices during the two speeches came only from DAP, with Jelutong MP R.S.N. Rayer slamming Najib for accusing Pakatan Harapan of being a failed government.
This begs the question – are Anwar and Najib, or PKR and Umno, for that matter, still looking at the possibility of cooperating to form a new administration?
Of course, it should be noted that several PKR lawmakers walked out in protest during Najib’s speech, proving that any attempt to create an alliance with Umno would be met with dissent.
Anwar has already made it clear that tainted leaders will not be a part of his administration, which is why as a party, Umno is still deliberating its future.
In the grander scheme of things, though, nothing should be ruled out, particularly when it comes to politics. – The Vibes, November 11, 2020
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