SMELL OUR DUST, UMNO-BN! ‘IF YOU WATCHED THE TABLING LIVE, THE OPPOSITION WAS SO AGGRESSIVE BUT ONCE I FINISHED, THEY ALL DISAPPEARED’ – GUAN ENG & TEAM MOCK ‘NO IDEAS’ UMNO-PAS FOR FAILING TO EVEN COME UP WITH ALTERNATIVE PLAN

FINANCE Minister Lim Guan Eng has described Budget 2020, which he tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on Friday, as extraordinary because it has been praised as an “election budget”.

Lim said after tabling the budget, a Pakatan Harapan (PH) leader told him that the budget was very comprehensive, like what was normally given in a general election year.

“I replied that we have to make changes from the previous government, that is our budget is like an election budget although the election is still far off. We hope to be able to do this every year.

“We have to work to bring the changes we promised the people, and no matter how hard, we have to work. So far, many reactions received are generally positive,” he said.

Lim said this when opening the Pahang DAP annual convention at the Triang DAP office today.

Present were Pahang DAP chairman Leong Ngah Ngah and other party leaders.

Lim said the budget is comprehensive as it was drawn up to help the people, and this rendered the opposition unable to counter it.

“If you watched the tabling live, (you would have noticed) the opposition was so aggressive in the early stages but once I finished delivering (the budget speech), they all disappeared,” he said.

Lim said the budget was not only aimed at improving the country’s economy but also people’s welfare, like providing jobs opportunities, ensuring women’s wellbeing and placing more emphasis on education and religious institutions.

In his speech, Leong said there were still some weaknesses more than one year after the change of government, but things would continue to improve, including in fulfilling PH’s election manifesto.

“Our mission in 2018 was to topple a corrupt government to save Malaysia and we succeeded. Now is the time to close the many holes, and this takes time.

“However, at least we do not indulge in corruption, and this is most important… we need to be clean in our desire to help Malaysians,” he said.

– Bernama

PAS-Umno have no ideas, couldn’t even do alternative budget, says Chin Tong

MALAYSIA needs a responsible opposition that can compete with the government on public policy, instead of one that relies on race-baiting, Johor DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong said.

“The PAS-UMNO alliance has no policy thinking. They can’t even produce a simple alternative budget. They made no effort at all to debate public policy rationally.

“They have no serious ideas or plans for the people except to harp on extreme racial and religious anxieties.

“They are not interested to compete with the government on the public policy front,” Liew said in a statement.

The Pakatan Harapan government tabled its budget for 2020 on Friday but the opposition said it had no alternative budget to present as it was not required to do so since it was not the government.

Liew, who is also a senator and deputy defence minister, said the opposition had been relying on racial games using fake news or by misrepresenting facts to influence perceptions about the PH government.

“Malaysia needs an opposition that can challenge and compete with the government on public policies, and not one that plays racial games through fake news and half-baked news without context, just to erode the credibility and legitimacy of the government of the day.

“What we really need now is a responsible opposition for the nation’s sake,” he added.

Liew also commented on the coming Tanjung Piai by-election. Nomination will be on November 2 and polling on November 16.

He said the contest for the parliamentary seat in Johor would be difficult for PH, which won the seat last year.

Liew urged voters to defend PH in the seat and described it as a “choice between a better Malaysia or the politics of hate”.

He said PH was worth defending because it is the “political home for all Malaysian who believe in the power of moderation, Malaysianness and the middle ground”.

“PH will never be a more Malay party than Umno, or more Islamic than PAS or more Chinese than MCA or more Indian than MIC. It is also a party for all our friends and equal partners in Sabah and Sarawak,” Liew said.

He said the PAS-Umno alliance, which is also backed by MCA and MIC, is using race and religion as political weapons against PH, and Malaysians should not fall for their rhetoric unless they wanted to see the return of Barisan Nasional rule.

– https://www.themalaysianinsight.com