If the budget is not approved, the rakyat will suffer

By Zaidi Isham Ismail
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Budget 2021 was successfully tabled last Friday to the satisfaction of many. Numerous quarters were generally happy. The frontliners, the security forces, the economists, the academics and above all the rakyat were content.

But there are already rumblings in Parliament among the opposition and some backbenchers who opposed the budget and will disapprove it on November 23.

What is their problem? How selfish can they be?

Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said in Parliament yesterday that Barisan Nasional will only "conditionally" approve the budget.

He said BN will only approve Budget 2021 only if the Employees Provident Fund allow the lump sum withdrawal of RM10,000 instead of the proposed RM500 over 12 months.

Najib said BN will only approve the budget on the second condition that the loan moratorium is extended by another 6 months.

Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng also threatened that the opposition will scuttle the budget if a certain appendice is not removed.

Petaling Jaya member of parliament Maria Chin also staged a walkout questioning Najib's legality to question the budget as he was already found guilty for corruption.

For heavens sake, protest if they must on this trivial matter but let's approve the bigger overall budget first.

Later on, the government and the politicians can go back to the drawing board to finetune some of the budget proposals as well as address any disgruntlements.

After the budget is approved, more goodies can be delivered on a staggered basis.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Mustafa Billah Shah had already decreed that politicians should stop politicking for the sake of the rakyat.

As a reminder, the politicians had also pledged their allegiance to support the budget before it was tabled in parliament. Have these politicians forgotten?

The budget is essential as the frontliners need to prepare the country against a possible third wave of the COVID-19.

The economic measures need to be implemented as soon as possible to rejuvenate the economy. The small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) need the aid to kickstart their businesses.

The frontliners need the RM17 billion to defend the country and the rakyat from COVID-19's third wave. And the rakyat need the cash aid to survive and bolster the domestic economy.

PWC tax leader Fung Mei Ling told BFM that the government needs to prepare now against the third wave of the pandemic and all monies need to be disseminated.

Non-governmental organisation Kelab Perantau president Fairuz Mohamed told NST that traders have all but depleted their savings and desperately need the cash aid to restart their businesses.

The rakyat need the assistance now and time is of the essence.

Perhaps prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was right in asking from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to declare an emergency.

Muhyiddin was afraid then that there will be bickering which could dismantle the budget and only the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's decree can see the budget through.

Stop politicking members of parliament.

They must sacrifice their vested interests for now and not gamble on the rakyat's plight. - DagangNews.com

The writer is former NST Business assistant editor