Budget Concessions Shows Pn S Desperation Anwar

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The concessions made by Perikatan Nasional with regard to the federal budget are unprecedented, said PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.
He said this shows the government's desperation to stay in power.
"I must state that in the history of the Malaysian Parliament, there has never been a budget amended in such an amount or manner as this.
"This clearly shows PN's readiness to do whatever it takes to stay in power, including breaking from parliamentary precedent," he said.
Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz yesterday expanded the Employees Provident Fund withdrawal scheme and other new incentives while wrapping up Budget 2021's policy stage debate.
This after Umno leaders aligned with party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had sent signals that they may withhold support from the budget if their demands were not met.
After Zafrul's announcement, Umno leaders decided to back the budget.
Anwar, meanwhile, made a last-minute decision not to proceed with a bloc vote to oppose the budget.
He explained yesterday that he didn't want to appear in opposition to the new incentives.
In his statement today, Anwar said his decision was so MPs could review Zafrul's announcement in detail and as a whole.
He said MPs have a right to question the additional incentives and whether they will be financed through cuts in other allocation and the impact of this on the country's economy.
He also said there was still time to make a "strong stance" on the budget through bloc votes at the committee stage of the debate. - Mkini

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