Pejuang MPs to reject 2021 Budget
Published on: Wednesday, November 25, 2020
By: FMT
Photo: Bernama
PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad says all MPs from his new party Pejuang will reject the 2021 Budget because the government has failed to consider views given to improve the budget.
He also accused the government of threatening MPs by saying that by rejecting the budget, civil servants and frontliners will not be paid.
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“They are trying to create uneasiness among the rakyat by saying that if the budget is not approved, financial assistance will not reach the rakyat,” he said in a post on his blog chedet today.
Pejuang has four MPs, namely Mahathir (Langkawi), Mukhriz Mahathir (Jerlun), Amiruddin Hamzah (Kubang Pasu) and Shahruddin Md Salleh (Sri Gading).
Mahathir said social media users have been complaining about the budget that was tabled by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz on Nov 6.
“I have explained before that even if the budget is not approved, it will not stop the payment of civil servants’ salaries, pensions and allowances for frontliners.
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“It’s the same when it comes to the financial assistance promised for the rakyat,” he said.
Mahathir also claimed that the government had allocated allowances for frontliners only until January 2021, but had not informed the people as such.
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He further slammed the government, saying it was practising double standards on the issue of the 14-day quarantine for anyone entering the peninsula from Sabah.
“The victims are the rakyat. If the rakyat do not follow the rules, they are punished but if there are politicians favouring the government, they are freed,” he said.
He was believed to be alluding to the case of Sabah deputy chief minister Jeffrey Kitingan, who was said to have been given a release order by the health ministry and had his wristband cut by the Lembah Pantai district health office, after being quarantined from Nov 12 to Nov 23.
Mahathir said if the budget is not approved the present government losses its “legitimacy” as it did not have the majority to pass the budget.
But as the country faces Covid-19 crisis, he said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong could appoint an individual with majority support in the Dewan Rakyat to be the new prime minister and name a new Cabinet.
Meanwhile, in an interview with a women’s group in Terengganu via Facebook Live today, Mahathir said ministers and deputy ministers must take a pay cut.
He argued that this was because with Covid-19 restrictions, these ministers and deputy ministers could not perform the full scope of work required of their roles, but are still getting full salaries.
He said the budget should also look at foreign workers who are unable to pay for swab tests.
“Although they are not our people but whatever happens to them will affect us too.
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