Budget 2021 Has Been Passed At The Policy Stage. Here's What It Means
The Opposition was two votes less to call for a bloc vote.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 26 Nov 2020, 04:34 PM
Despite speculation that the Supply Bill may not be passed for the first time in the country's history, Budget 2021 has been passed in the Dewan Rakyat today, 26 November, following a simple voice vote
Budget 2021, which was tabled by Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz on 6 November, was passed through a majority voice at about 3.30pm, reported New Straits Times.
Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun presided over the Parliament sitting today and called upon Members of Parliament (MPs) to decide if the RM322.5bil federal budget would get passed at the policy stage.
The Opposition attempted to call for a bloc vote, but it failed to gather more than 15 MPs to stand up before the process can be allowed.
According to Malaysiakini, only 13 MPs stood up after Pokok Sena MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar initiated the bloc vote.
The budget will now move to the committee stage, where it will be subject to more debates and votes
However, with the Budget passed at the policy stage today, political analyst Wong Chin Huat said it does not necessarily mean the Perikatan Nasional government and Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin can continue holding onto power.
From today onwards until the third reading of the Budget on 15 December, MPs can still vote against the Budget in the committee stage.
"As a budget defeat is an alternative form of a no-confidence vote, it is perfectly legitimate for MPs to vote down a budget at the third reading if they have lost confidence in the government," Wong contended.
