Unilateral budget move tarnished Harapan's reputation - Amanah grassroots

 

A group of Amanah grassroots leaders have criticised what they described as a "unilateral" decision on Nov 26 which saw Budget 2021 easily pass the second reading.

They did not mention names but appeared to be referring to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim's request for Pakatan Harapan MPs not to seek divisional voting during the budget vote.

"We the Amanah grassroots strongly reject the unilateral decision, which disrespected the consensus of the majority.

"The action tarnished Harapan's reputation which was elected by the people in the 14th general election," they said in a statement.

The statement was signed by 55 Amanah leaders from the divisional, state and national levels.

A divisional vote would have forced a count of votes during the second reading of Budget 2021.

This would establish if Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin still enjoyed majority support in the House or whether they have shifted to Anwar as the latter claimed.

Party sources said Anwar had requested to delay the divisional vote as he had yet to muster sufficient support to defeat Budget 2021.

However, Anwar has vowed to put up a fight during the third reading where Budget 2021 will undergo several votes according to ministries.

Anwar's move had angered many MPs as they faced a backlash from supporters.

The budget vote, which is also a proxy confidence vote, is seen as a critical procedure if Harapan intends to regain power after it was ousted through defections in February.

The grassroots members also praised Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub for apologising for complying with Anwar's request and not supporting a divisional vote.

They also backed Amanah president Mohamad Sabu's call not to make enemies in the opposition.

This is after Mohamad said he won't turn against either Anwar or former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who are in conflict with each other.

"We demand that a decision is made for a clear direction to restore the people's mandate, reject kleptocracy and deny legitimacy to the Perikatan Nasional government," they said. - Mkini