Shocking that only 13 MPs wanted the actual votes cast for the Budget to be counted - and they needed 15. Were all the MPs of the Opposition to Muhyiddin's Perikatan Nasional government absent - or do we have now more FROGS/KATAK in Parliament..or is the majority of the Opposition now having full confidence in PM Muhyiddin - thus Anwar should stop spreading 'fake news' about him having the confidence of the majority???
Vote of No Confidence should have been the 1st thing Parliament dealt with - that would have put Malaysians at ease as to whether PM Muhyiddin still enjoys the confidence of the majority or NOT
Well, the 2nd chance of showing this was when the BUDGET gets rejected ...but now the BUDGET was passed - true it is still the 1st stage - but this would have been the BEST to speedily resolve the issue. If Muhyiddin no longer enjoys the majority, he could speedily be replaced with someone having the confidence of the majority - and there was still time for new government to speedily table and pass a Budget, at least for normal operations of government...
BUT NO - this did not happen...Well, maybe Anwar and others should then stop taking Malaysians for a 'ride' - and let us just concentrate on GE15.
How was the VOTE carried out - 'There are more voices [in agreement with the budget]. The bill will see its second reading now,” he[Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun] said.
Did they allow ALL the MPs into the Dewan Rakyat for the VOTE? Or was it only the limited 80 in the Dewan, and others were in other rooms around the Parliament building ..
How can there be a 'SHOW OF HANDS" in such a situation - how could those MPs now allowed to be in the Dewan Rakyat vote or 'voice' their support - Clearly, the limited number of MPs allowed in the Dewan because of Covid-19 has more PN government MPs than there are Opposition MPs - so, if all present, ALWAYS the government will win.. So, were the votes of the MPs not allowed in the Dewan proper taken into account.. MP Mahfuz's suggestion that the votes be counted and recorded makes a lot of sense, especially if MPs present in Parliament were not allowed in during the VOTE - a precaution during the Covid pandemic?
Pokok Sena MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar interjected and motioned for a tally of the votes.
However, this required 15 MPs to support the call for a tally. Only 13 stood up in support of the tally, according to the Speaker.
And now, Anwar seem to have admitted that he asked the Opposition MPs that listen to him to vote in SUPPORT of the Budget. Foolish, I believe, because there were so many things that were WRONG in the Budget - and now, he supported the Budget ---and now says, wait for the Committee stage ...so, does this mean that Anwar and his MPs no longer question whether Muhyiddin enjoys the confidence of the majority?
Anwar's MPs now seem to be just interested in making 'minor' amendments to the Budget ...Does this confirm that Anwar lied to us when he claimed that he had substantial majority...and many hoped for a change in government?
Are Malaysians being played by these politicians and their parties? Maybe, they should just stop it and simply wait for GE15...Anwar really should take a break, and we need new faces as potential Prime Minister candidates - someone not with a history of being in the former BN cabinets???
Budget 2021 approved by Dewan Rakyat
KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 26): After a heated session during Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz’s wrapping-up speech on Budget 2021, the bill was approved at the policy stage.
Towards the end of the session, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun asked for a show of hands of those for and against the budget, and decided that there were more Members of Parliament (MPs) who agreed with the budget, although Pokok Sena MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar interjected and motioned for a tally of the votes.
However, this required 15 MPs to support the call for a tally. Only 13 stood up in support of the tally, according to the Speaker.
“There are fewer than 15 people [supporting the call for a tally]. There are more voices [in agreement with the budget]. The bill will see its second reading now,” he said.
The wrap-up by the minister was a heated one as ruling and opposition MPs furiously interjected for clarifications of certain issues, including the expansion of the Employees Provident Fund's (EPF) i-Sinar facility to include those receiving pay cuts due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Subang MP Wong Chen claimed that the EPF’s inflows amount to no more than RM20 billion per year, and therefore could not cover the total increased allocation of RM70 billion for the i-Sinar facility.
“Where is the EPF going to find the extra RM50 billion? Are they going to sell their shareholdings in listed companies on Bursa Malaysia? If this hits the headlines tomorrow, we will have a big problem,” he said.
However, Tengku Zafrul clarified that the EPF is seeing inflows of RM80 billion per year, adding that the Ministry of Finance (MoF) had looked into the matter.
“I would like to correct the facts. We conducted a detailed analysis of this for over a week. Actually, the inflows are not RM20 billion, RM30 billion or RM40 billion. It is RM80 billion per year,” responded the minister.
Following that, Wong pointed out that withdrawals by contributors, amounting to RM40 billion to RM50 billion per year, had to be taken into account as well — before his microphone was muted by the Speaker.
The session quickly devolved into a shouting match among the MPs, which resulted in intermittent muting of the MPs’ microphones by a visibly irritated Speaker.
“This is embarrassing behaviour. We are debating on the budget and this is how we are behaving? The rakyat are watching all of us here!” he said.
Other points mentioned during Tengku Zafrul's speech included a reduction in allocation for the Special Affairs Department (JASA) to make way for increases in other allocations, although he did not elaborate.
On the various proposals for a further extension of the loan
moratorium, he said all who are eligible — whether they are in the B40,
M40 or T20 category — will be able to request for various forms of
assistance, which also include reducing or rescheduling loan repayments,
from their respective banks. - The Edge Market, 26/11/2020
Anwar confirms he told Opposition to let Budget 2021 pass first hurdle
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 ― Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he instructed his side’s lawmakers to allow Budget 2021 through the policy stage as he did not want to be seen as blocking aid and concessions announced by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
He said that while the decision was very difficult as Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz allegedly “evaded substantive fundamental issues” including the projection and revenue of the budget.
“What he (Tengku Zafrul) did was to announce additional grants, allowance to frontline workers, farmers, fishermen etc, and that complicates issues.
“I don’t want to be seen to be ignoring the fact that the minister has taken some measures, although he rejected the fundamental issues, he announced some measures which are more acceptable for the rakyat,” he told the press today.
Anwar then promised that the Opposition would come back stronger to scrutinise Budget 2021 during the committee level debate from Monday, saying the PN government should not consider this a victory yet.
“There is no guarantee we will approve on Monday when the committee level starts.
“We will certainly choose to reject and call for revision (of the budget),” he said.
Earlier, however, PKR vice president Chang Lih Kang wrote on Facebook that rejected Budget 2021 and would continue to do so at the committee stage.
“Today, the Opposition does not support this Budget, we have voted through a vote to reject it. It's just that we don't ask for a bloc-voting,” he said.
Budget 2021 was approved in the policy stage today after Parliament approved it via a voice vote when fewer than the 15 lawmakers needed to force bloc-voting rose to make their rejection known.
Just 13 Opposition MPs including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu stood up to try and force a bloc vote.
Prior to the vote, Tengku Zafrul announced several concessions to demands from both sides of the divide including extending the loan moratorium for all B40 income earners and small businesses as well as allowing eight million EPF contributors to withdraw up to RM10,000 from their Account 1 in one lump sum instead of RM6,000 over 12 months.
This allowed Budget 2021 to be approved via a voice vote despite shouts from lawmakers ostensibly rejecting the federal spending plan.
Voting on Budget 2021 had come under extreme scrutiny as there was expectation that it could be rejected.
By convention, a rejection of the federal Budget is considered a
successful vote of no-confidence against the ruling party and should be
met by the resignation of the entire Cabinet. - Malay Mail, 26/11/2020
Dr Mahathir adamant on rejecting 2021 Budget
KUALA LUMPUR: Langkawi member of parliament Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and three other lawmakers from Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang), who had stood up to oppose the 2021 Budget will not budge from opposing the fiscal plan.
"For me and some other Pejuang members, we will still hold to our stand of rejecting the Budget as was stated before.
"When me make a position, we will not budge as we abide by the trust and our duty entrusted to us as elected representatives," he said in a statement, amid growing calls for the opposition to explain why it failed to secure a chance to move for a bloc vote to defeat the passing of the 2021 Budget in Parliament today.
Dr Mahathir, however addressed the elephant in the room by conceding that those looking to quash the Budget this time around were defeated, as only 13 MPs stood up to do so as the bloc voting criteria required a minimum of 15.
"When this happens, it means that the government that was chosen by the people can be toppled and replaced by a backdoor government.
"Elections no longer hold meaning," said the former prime minister.
He said such a government in turn could be supported by opposition MPs without them feeling guilty of betraying promises to the people.
"This is what happened in the Dewan Rakyat today."
The 2021 Budget was passed at the policy stage today, after 12 days of heated debate.
Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun had presided over the session, and he put the RM322.5 billion Budget to a vote which was passed through a majority voice at about 3.30pm.
The opposition's had attempt to call for a bloc vote but it failed to
gather the more than 15 MPs to stand up for the process to be allowed. - NST, 26/11/2020
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