KUALA LUMPUR – Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to table an urgent motion to debate the country’s dire economic situation in the coming Parliament sitting.
This comes on the back of spiralling inflation involving basic necessities and the ringgit’s ongoing slump.
In a letter submitted to Ismail Sabri, Anwar drew the prime minister’s attention to the two pressing issues, which he said needed immediate intervention.
In this regard, he suggested that the matter be debated in the first week of the upcoming Dewan Rakyat sitting, which will commence on Monday.
“I propose that either the government tables this special motion, or the prime minister, as the head of the House, gives me the space to table it as the opposition leader.
“I recommend the motion be tabled and debated in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday, October 3,” he said in the letter, which was shared on his Twitter account.
Standing Order 18 of the Dewan Rakyat allows any member of the House to seek to discuss any matter of urgent public importance, provided a formal notice is filed to the speaker at least 24 hours before the commencement of the sitting.
The speaker can then allow for the motion to be debated if they are satisfied that the matter is definite, urgent, and of public importance.
The Dewan Rakyat sitting, which was originally scheduled to take place from October 25 to December 15, has been moved forward and will now commence for 32 days beginning October 3.
The tabling of Budget 2023, originally scheduled for October 28, has also been moved forward to October 7.
There has been strong speculation that Parliament might be dissolved in the immediate days following the budget tabling to make way for the 15th general election.
Ismail Sabri has been under constant pressure by his party leaders to call for national polls before the end of the year.
Malaysians have been grappling with the continued spike in inflation due to soaring food prices, with the consumer price index for August rising 4.7% year-on-year, up from the 4.4% jump a month earlier.
The latest figure means inflation in the country has climbed 3.1% in just the first eight months of 2022, compared to the 2.3% increase in the same period last year.
On a similar note, the ringgit has also consistently slid against the US dollar, reaching record lows almost on a daily basis in the past couple of weeks. – The Vibes, September 27, 2022
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