Wan Azizah shrugs off PAS’s lack of support to vote down Budget

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail says she is not worried about PAS’s decision to not vote down Budget 2016. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, November 2, 2015.

Pakatan Harapan remained unperturbed with PAS's decision to abstain from voting down Budget 2016 in the Dewan Rakyat.

"That's his stand," said opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail on PAS's president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's position on the matter.

"That's PAS. But from what I heard the last time, the whip said otherwise, they wanted to vote against the budget with all the subsidies, but if that's PAS stand, OK."

Hadi was quoted by Sinar Harian as saying PAS MPs would not support the call by DAP and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) to remove Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak by voting down the budget in the Dewan Rakyat.

Admitting that lack of a unity stand among opposition parties on the matter would make it difficult when bloc voting is taken for Budget 2016, Dr Wan Azizah was philosophical over the matter.

"This is what we have faced since last time if we were to depend on the opposition block because we lacked the numbers.

"We need BN if we want to push through the no-confidence vote and we also do not know how," she told reporters outside the Parliament lobby today.

She said there was dissatisfaction towards Najib and believed this sentiment would manifest further when the no-confidence vote was taken.

Dr Wan Azizah had filed a motion of no confidence against Najib when the Dewan Rakyat reconvened last month.

Najib is under fire over the scandal surrounding his brainchild, state investment vehicle 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) as well as the RM2.6 billion "donation" from an unknown Middle Eastern donor, a large sum of which went into his personal accounts ahead of the 2013 general election.

A two-thirds majority is needed to push a no-confidence motion through, but the opposition lacks the numbers, having only 88-members in the 222 lower house seat of the Dewan Rakyat.

The new informal opposition pact, Pakatan Harapan, only has 72 MPs.

PKR previously said the opposition only needed 25 Barisan Nasional (BN) parliamentarians to support the no-confidence motion to force Najib to step down.

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad also urged BN federal lawmakers to support the no-confidence motion.

- TMI