Pakatan reps' concerns over budget cut fizzles out

Concerns of Pakatan Rakyat state assemblypersons that Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim would slash the state budget for next year fizzled out after its tabling today saw the highest-ever amount for development expenditure.

Even though the base development expenditure saw a slight reduction from 633 million this year to RM624 million next year, an additional RM430 million was injected from the state reserves, bringing the total to RM1.055 billion.

“Even though there is a slight reduction in development expenditure, if we look in totality (including the reserve spending) the amount is larger,” said Selangor Pakatan Rakyat backbenchers club chairperson Azmin Ali.

However, Azmin (right), who has been a vocal critic of Khalid on his spending methods, said he would like to first see the details of how the extra RM430 million will be spent before passing judgment.

“I do not want to comment now but we welcome the plan to use part of the reserves,” he said.

Azmin reiterated his point that agencies who failed to spend their allocations should not be punished with budget cuts but instead be scrutinised so that they spend properly.

“We will provide input during the budget debate and I hope the state government will consider our concerns,” he said.

Azmin was among the signatories of a memorandum submitted to Abdul Khalid last month urging him to spend some of the state reserve which stands at a staggering RM2.7 billion.

'Issues we raised were addressed in the budget'

Meanwhile, DAP’s Kampung Tunku state assemblyperson Lau Weng San (left), who was also a signatory to the memorandum, said he was satisfied with the budget.

“The issues we raised in our memorandum were addressed in the budget,” he said.

Similarly, Meru state assemblyperson Abdul Rani Osman, who is also Selangor PAS commissioner, said he found the budget to be acceptable.

He also concurred with the Selangor menteri besar that even though the development expenditure has increased, it should only be disbursed to projects with concrete paperwork.

“Whatever we do, there will need to be black and white on what we want,” he said.