Muhyiddin gathers PN component ahead of uncertain budget vote
A meeting between Perikatan Nasional (PN) party whips with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin this afternoon was a preparation for the Dewan Rakyat which starts its session tomorrow, according to Senior Minister (Economy) Azmin Ali.
"It is just a government pre-council (meeting) among chief whips. As chief whips, the prime minister informed us of the latest development and we need to prepare for this coming session.
"It is just an update (of the situation)," said Azmin, who is the chief whip for the PN coalition...
A meeting between Perikatan Nasional (PN) party whips with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin this afternoon was a preparation for the Dewan Rakyat which starts its session tomorrow, according to Senior Minister (Economy) Azmin Ali.
"It is just a government pre-council (meeting) among chief whips. As chief whips, the prime minister informed us of the latest development and we need to prepare for this coming session.
"It is just an update (of the situation)," said Azmin, who is the chief whip for the PN coalition.
The Gombak MP, however, declined to elaborate or comment on what was discussed in the meeting which lasted for about two hours.
The meeting was held right after Muhyiddin concluded an earlier meeting he had with heads of political parties that support the PN government.
The premier, however, did not speak to the media when approached for comments, before leaving.
Meanwhile, other PN leaders were also tight-lipped when approached by the media, but several described it as an ordinary meeting.
"It's normal. We always have a meeting one day before Parliament starts," said MCA president Wee Ka Siong. He spoke to reporters as he was leaving the meeting held at the Hilton hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
MIC president S Vigneswaran tried to play it down by saying that they were there "only for lunch".
Earlier today, PN leaders were seen entering the hotel for the pre-Dewan Rakyat meeting.
They include Muhyiddin who arrived at 12.20pm, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and PAS head Abdul Hadi Awang who arrived minutes before the Bersatu president.
Other leaders seen by journalists, who had been on standby at the hotel lobby, were PBS chief Maximus Ongkili, GPS chairperson and Sarawak chief minister Abang Johari Openg, and SUPP's Sim Kui Han.
Most of them left the building right after the meeting ended.
Starting 2pm, scores of other PN leaders were seen entering the hotel including PN Backbenchers Club chairperson Shahidan Kassim, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, and Azmin.
Today's meeting between heads of parties that support the PN coalition government is viewed as a crucial one, considering that the Dewan Rakyat will start its next session tomorrow.
The Parliament sitting will see the government presenting its Budget 2021 on Nov 6, which, after a series of debates would come to a voting process by 221 parliamentarians. The Dewan Rakyat has a total of 222 seats, but one is vacant due to the recent death of its incumbent Liew Vui Keong.
For the record, the Muhyiddin-led government is hanging on a slim majority of two seats, based on the count of MPs on the PN side in May. This makes it risky for the premier when it comes to voting to pass the budget, as Malaysia's Parliament is based on the Westminster System where a government can be considered as having lost the confidence of the majority if its budget is defeated.
The situation looked grimmer for Muhyiddin when Umno recently announced that it wanted to rethink the party's support for the PN government.
The premier and his cabinet then attempted to get the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to make a proclamation of emergency, which was said would help in battling the Covid-19 pandemic. This was however declined by Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who, after a discussion with other Malay Rulers, said that he did not find the need to declare an emergency.
However, the King did advise all parliamentarians to ensure political stability in the country and give their support so that Budget 2021 would be passed without problems.
Umno had since announced that it would respect the monarch's wish, and expressed their support for Muhyiddin. The presence of Zahid in today's meeting can also be seen as a good sign for Muhyiddin.
Another hitch for Muhyiddin would be the opposition parties, which already called for the government to include them in drafting the budget if it wants their support.
At 3pm today, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz had a separate meeting with opposition leaders to discuss the budget in Putrajaya.
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