Mistake to abandon budget bloc vote even if 'Umno' had cold feet - Syed Saddiq

 

Abandoning a bloc vote call on Budget 2021 at the last minute was a mistake, said Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

The Muar MP said the opposition had agreed to call for a bloc vote in several meetings over several days and should have stuck by it.

"If that decision is decided collectively... then stick to it, don't change it at the last minute and at the end cause confusion among the opposition.

"Our job as the opposition is not just to win the vote or suddenly change the government.

"Even if those in Umno had cold feet to then suddenly support the budget, it is our duty in the opposition to hold the government accountable," he said in an interview with BFM this morning.

The Dewan Rakyat yesterday passed Budget 2021 at the policy stage with a voice vote, after an attempt to hold bloc voting only gained the support of 13 MPs.

Syed Saddiq was not one of the MPs who stood up.

Prior to the vote, Umno leaders aligned with party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had sent signals that they may withhold support from the budget if their demands were not met.

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz yesterday expanded the Employees Provident Fund and other new incentives - which was well received by Umno MPs who then threw their support behind the budget.

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, who gave the last-minute order not to proceed with the bloc vote, said he didn't want to appear in opposition of the new incentives.

Syed Saddiq repeatedly said a last-minute directive was why MPs were unsure whether to proceed with the bloc vote.

Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad - who was one of those who stood up - said those who backed the bloc vote attempt were not aware of the directive to sit down.

Syed Saddiq, in the interview, apologised for what happened.

"I can't speak on behalf of the other MPs, but I personally believe in hindsight what happened was wrong and I owe an apology (to the people)," he said.

Meanwhile, the Muar MP said he also accepted criticisms of his recent meeting with former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"I believe the criticisms are all legitimate, especially for those who thought the meeting was something else whether it was to form a government or taking down the government or something extraordinary," he said.

Syed Saddiq had met Najib to lobby for support for a windfall tax on companies that made extraordinary profits during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the meeting was not unusual, as he had previously met Najib when Pakatan Harapan was in power to secure support for a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age to 18. - Mkini