Budget: Warisan will support if focus is on helping rakyat, says Mohd Shafie

 

Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said since the medical and health sector in Sabah had been lagging behind the other states, the 2021 Budget should focus on resolving these shortcomings for the benefit of the people here. - NST/file pic.

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) will support the 2021 Budget on the condition that it focuses on helping the people, overcoming the impact of Covid-19 and reviving the country's economy.

Its president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said since the medical and health sector in Sabah had been lagging behind the other states, the 2021 Budget should focus on resolving these shortcomings for the benefit of the people here.

He said the government must ensure that the Covid-19 pandemic that has hit Sabah is managed as best possible and more quarantine centres are set up close to the community, for the sake of their convenience.

"As the King and the Malay rulers have said, the interests of the people and the country are important. If for example the Prihatin food aid is extended to help alleviate the people's burden, we will give our support," he said in a statement here on Tuesday night.

Last Sunday, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah stressed that Budget 2021, which will be tabled in the next parliamentary session, is very important to the people, especially in terms of dealing with Covid-19 and restoring the country's economy.

Shafie expressed hope that the 2021 Budget would not only focus on development but would also take into consideration the businesses and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said with more and more companies under immense pressure in the current economic situation, certain measures must be taken to revive the economic sector before the government imposes taxes on these companies. – Bernama