After extra goodies announced, Budget 2021 passes first vote
Budget 2021 has passed the policy stage in the Dewan Rakyat with a voice vote.
An attempt by Mahfuz Omar (Pakatan Harapan-Pokok Sena) to initiate a bloc vote failed to materialise due to the lack of the required support of 15 MPs. Only 13 MPs stood up in support.
The budget would now move to the committee stage, where there would be more debates and votes...
Budget 2021 has passed the policy stage in the Dewan Rakyat with a voice vote.
An attempt by Mahfuz Omar (Harapan-Pokok Sena) to initiate a bloc vote failed to materialise due to the lack of the required support of 15 MPs. Only 13 MPs stood up in support.
The budget would now move to the committee stage, where there would be more debates and votes.
The result came after the government announced extra goodies for the budget, including expanding withdrawals from Account 1 of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for those whose incomes had been reduced.
The withdrawal expansion partially met Umno's demands in exchange for supporting the budget.
Read more: How voting in the Dewan Rakyat works
Azeez Abdul Rahim (BN-Baling) said Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz scored "7-0" in his wrap-up speech - which laid out the bonus goodies.
Prior to the vote, there was a ruckus in the Lower House, with Khalid Samad (Harapan-Shah Alam) railing against Zafrul and the government for not holding consultations with the opposition after Budget 2021 was tabled on Nov 6.
Previously, there was speculation that the budget bill may not pass, with Umno withholding support.
However, the party's mood changed after Zafrul's announcements.
In the following committee stage, the Dewan Rakyat will vote on each ministry's budget, one by one.
Usually, any effort to defeat the budget is only done during the policy stage, and the Supply Bill will pass through the committee stage with voice votes.
However, Pakatan Harapan had in 2017 mounted a surprise ambush during the committee stage, and narrowly lost by just one vote.
BN and PAS MPs likewise staged an ambush during the committee stage in 2019.
Opposition MPs had previously told Malaysiakini that in the event Budget 2021 was not passed, Article 102 of the Federal Constitution could be invoked to table a separate bill to authorise essential spending.
Essential spending could include civil servant emoluments and healthcare expenses needed to battle the Covid-19 pandemic.
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