KUALA LUMPUR – Twenty Barisan Nasional ministers and deputy ministers have declared their support for the passing of Budget 2021, scheduled for a vote in Parliament this Thursday (November 26).
In a joint statement, they said that they believed the other BN parliamentarians will follow suit to ensure the government's plan to uplift the people and restore the country’s economy can be implemented as soon as possible, with the help of the budget.
They also said that Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration should continue to be supported to ensure the execution of plans to revive the economy affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among the BN ministers who signed the statement were Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Khairy Jamaluddin, Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, and Datuk Seri M. Saravanan.
Conspicuously absent from the list was BN chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The signatories however said that a meeting was held with Zahid last night where it was agreed that the BN ministers would have more frequent meetings with him for guidance on the coalition’s policy and stand to be brought before the cabinet.
“To ensure the stability of a government, we are of the opinion that a general election must be held as soon as the public health situation permits to obtain a clear mandate from the people,” they said in the statement.
“Until then, we have agreed to strengthen BN’s position in the current government, and at the same time arrange the flow of work to ensure BN has the strongest voice in the government.”
They said that the passing of the budget is a necessary first step to revitalise the economy and is in line with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s advice for the budget to be approved. – The Vibes, November 24, 2020