BN's Budget 2023 will not disadvantage PN's GE campaign - Muhyiddin

Perikatan Nasional chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin today said his coalition will not be at a disadvantage when campaigning against BN regardless of the latter having Budget 2023 as a tool to attract voters.

“No, it will not be a disadvantage. We want to see the contents of the budget.

“We will comment after we hear the contents, whether it’s enough, adequate, focused on select groups or not,” the Bersatu president told reporters after chairing his party’s political bureau meeting at PN’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur earlier tonight.

“I will debate it (the budget) in Parliament. No matter, it does not really worry us because we have given focus (on the people) even before the budget.

“Since my time in the administration we (Bersatu) have given focus through a big budget, incentive packages... aside from managing the Covid-19 situation,” he said.

While Bersatu and PN remain a part of the current BN-led federal administration, with its ministers involved in preparing the Budget 2023 document, both coalitions will turn into rivals for the 15th general election (GE15).

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong earlier today fueled speculation he would seek consent to dissolve Parliament before tabling Budget 2023 tomorrow afternoon.

The speculation follows an Umno supreme council’s decision last Friday that the general election must be held this year, amid weather concerns during the annual monsoon.

A well-placed source in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) however told Malaysiakini the date to dissolve Parliament was not discussed during the royal audience.

In a Facebook post later, the Istana Negara said today’s audience between the prime minister and the Agong was just a “routine” weekly pre-cabinet meeting.

So far, the Finance Ministry has confirmed that Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz will table Budget 2023 in Parliament at 4pm tomorrow.

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