Budget 2021 to help all sectors, Muhyiddin calls for bipartisan support

 

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has rallied bipartisan support for the upcoming Budget 2021 to be tabled in Parliament on Nov 6.

In a live televised address, Muhyiddin said the budget will provide allocations to assist various sectors in dealing with financial hardships due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I hope all parliamentarians can set aside their political differences to ensure that Budget 2021 is passed for the good of the rakyat and the country.

"Let us put the rakyat's interest above all other interests," he said.

"An agreement can be drafted among parliamentarians to ensure that Budget 2021 is passed with support from the government and opposition MPs," Muhyiddin added.

Opposition MPs had previously mooted brokering a confidence-and-supply agreement with the government to ensure that Budget 2021 will be passed, amid questions surrounding Muhyiddin's majority support in Parliament.

The Harapan presidential council yesterday also urged for Muhyiddin to immediately begin discussions with the opposition on Budget 2021.

This follows the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah's advise for all MPs to put an end to political bickering and to pass Budget 2021 in Parliament.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin in his speech today said the allocations announced were also in response to the plight of over 800,000 Malaysians who lost their jobs and income sources since the beginning of the pandemic earlier this year.

"In managing the current third wave of Covid-19, the government is trying its best to avoid a worse impact on the economy and the people's lives," he said.

In recent days, there have been growing reported requests for contributors to be allowed to withdraw from their Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Account 1 savings to alleviate urgent financial hardships.

Muhyiddin, however, previously said that it would be difficult for the government to allow the requests, despite noting the people's pressing needs. - Mkini