KUALA LUMPUR – A heated debate on Budget 2021 erupted into a full-blown shouting match after Shah Alam MP Khalid Abdul Samad cried foul when he was not allowed to interject during Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz’s winding-up speech.
Just before voting commenced, Khalid, who was among a bevy of opposition MPs to accuse the finance minister of excluding them from the Budget’s formulation, called on Tengku Zafrul to allow him to seek clarification if he wanted the bloc’s support.
Khalid was also frustrated with Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun’s decision to allow Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim (BN-Baling) to declare his endorsement of the Budget, which led to a shouting match that lasted more than 10 minutes.
“How could Baling be given way (to speak), but not Shah Alam? It’s so obviously unfair,” Khalid repeatedly yelled into his microphone.
He told Tengku Zafrul: “If you want support (for the Budget), you have to give way (for us to speak).”
However, Azhar told the minister to finish winding up if he did not allow interjections.
As things got heated, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (independent-Muar) stood up to pose questions to Tengku Zafrul, but his request fell on deaf ears despite the lawmaker chanting “Muar” repeatedly.
This happened just as Tg Malim MP Chang Lih Kang told the speaker that there is no time limit for Tengku Zafrul’s speech, to which Azhar insisted that the minister has the floor to speak.
The shouting intensified after Khalid said the opposition was involved only once in engagements with Tengku Zafrul.
“This is a falsification of facts,” said the MP in response to Tengku Zafrul’s remark that all stakeholders were included in Budget discussions.
Tengku Zafrul earlier faced a barrage of questions, mostly from opposition MPs who scrutinised amendments to allocations, especially adjustments to the Employees Provident Fund’s i-Sinar initiative.
Among those who interjected Tengku Zafrul were Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, Wong Chen (Subang), Lim Guan Eng (Bagan) and Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir (Jerlun).
Other opposition politicians, including Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH-Kuala Selangor), expressed disappointment with the allocation for health.
The exchanges prompted Azhar to urge parliamentarians to refrain from asking questions, so as to allow Tengku Zafrul to finish responding to queries.
However, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PH-Setiawangsa) called on Azhar to “control” government MPs.
The speaker, in response, said such comments were made due to bias.
“Don’t accuse me of the wrong things.” – The Vibes, November 26, 2020
