KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin survived the final Budget 2021 vote with the slimmest of majorities, as the Dewan Rakyat passed the supply bill at its third and final reading this afternoon.
A total of 111 MPs voted for the Budget and 108 rejected it, following a bloc vote called by several opposition lawmakers.
One MP was absent for the voting. It is understood that the individual is Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (BN-Gua Musang).
Today’s bloc vote is the closest the opposition has gotten to rejecting the Budget since it was tabled on November 6.
Immediately after the Budget was passed, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali (Bersatu-Gombak) was heard saying over the microphone: “This vote proves that Perikatan Nasional is a caring government.”
His remark triggered shouts from the opposition bench, whose MPs accused the former PKR deputy president of being a traitor.
On November 26, the Budget was passed via a voice vote at the policy stage amid confusion among the opposition due to the bloc’s leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, issuing a last-minute directive to not vote down the spending plan.
He had said it would be improper to reject the Budget in its entirety, with improvements already made to the original bill, and maintained that it could be voted down at the committee stage and during its final reading.
However, multiple attempts to block the Budget at the committee stage failed, with the House passing allocations for all 27 ministries, including the Education and Higher Education Ministries today.
The opposition called for a division vote for a total of nine ministries before the third reading.
Today’s vote effectively proves that Muhyiddin still has majority support – albeit razor-thin – in the Dewan Rakyat.
This should come as a huge relief to the prime minister, who has been the subject of much scrutiny amid speculation that several government lawmakers would turn against him.
A defeat would have been seen as a loss of confidence in his leadership.
The Budget victory also means that Anwar has failed to prove he has enough support to form a new government – a claim that he has made since September 23.
In the lead-up to today, rumours were rife that the PKR president had obtained enough backing from among MPs, including from Umno, to block PN’s maiden Budget.
The supply bill will now be tabled, debated and voted on in the Dewan Negara, where it is not expected to face hiccups. – The Vibes, December 15, 2020
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