Pakatan Harapan’s alternative budget for 2016 will focus primarily on the economic concerns of East Malaysia and revamping of the agricultural policies of the rural areas.

"Most importantly, we will focus on the gap between the economic growth of East Malaysia and Peninsular Malaysia. This is because Sabah and Sarawak have been sidelined for so long," DAP's Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua told a press conference today.

East Malaysia is rich in natural sources, which the federal government has benefited from, Pua said.

Unfortunately, he lamented, the government then spent that money on Peninsular Malaysia.

This is why Pakatan Harapan is focusing on getting more investors to put money in East Malaysia, to bring more jobs and economic opportunities to that region, Pua said.

Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) strategy director Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad ( photo ) said the focus has also to be on agriculture because the country's agricultural policies were "backward, if compared with other countries".

The cost of the country's food imports in 2014 was RM34 billion, Dzulkefly said.

That is why Pakatan Harapan wants to focus on small-time farmers and the paddy issue in the country.

Subsidies should go directly to farmers

"Manufacturers get a lot of subsidies, but we should give the subsidies directly to the farmers and also provide a subsidy for the price of rice," Dzulkefly said.

The leaders said the alternative budget would be officially released in Parliament on Wednesday by Pakatan Harapan leaders Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Lim Kit Siang, and Mohamad Sabu.

In a joint statement today, three leaders of the opposition coalition - Rafizi Ramli, Anthony Loke, and Anuar Tahir - said the Pakatan Harapan secretariat council held its first meeting this morning.

Keeping with the tradition of the disbanded opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat, they said, the secretariat council would oversee the daily administration of Pakatan Harapan.

It was also decided at the meeting that the Pakatan Harapan presidential council would hold its first meeting on Oct 19, in the Parliament building.

The top leaders from each party in the coalition will be in this council and they will decide on the policies and direction of the coalition.

They will also launch Pakatan Harapan in each state through a roadshow themed #BebasRakyat and #BebasAnwar.

The details of the roadshow will be finalised by the presidential council, Rafizi, Loke, and Anuar said.

The coalition has also started preparing a Common Policy Framework and a Coalition Agreement that would be signed by all three member parties.

All these actions, the three leaders added, would hopefully lead the coalition towards a stronger position to pressure Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to step down.