Salleh welcomes PH’s willingness to cooperate on budget

 

Salleh Said Keruak says PH’s willingness to cooperate with the government is a positive development and a welcome first step in putting the interests of the people ahead of politics. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Former Sabah chief minister Salleh Said Keruak has welcomed the readiness of Pakatan Harapan to work with the government to pass the federal budget for 2021.

He said the meeting of PH leaders with Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz today was “a positive development and a welcome first step in putting the interests of the people ahead of politics”.

The PH leaders submitted six proposals and called for an expansionary fiscal policy on government spending in next year’s federal budget, which they called a “Unity Budget”. The budget will be tabled on Friday.

The PH leaders said the government and opposition must come together to craft a budget that works for the people to overcome and survive the current Covid-19 recession.

Salleh said Malaysia still had the opportunity to take the lead in finding the best solution to the Covid-19 crisis “if we plan carefully and announce a strong budget. This can be done if Malaysians set aside their political stances for a while and work together for the good of the country”.

The Perikatan Nasional coalition has a thin majority in Parliament and there has been speculation that MPs might vote against the budget, which would automatically lead to the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his Cabinet and pave the way for a general election. - FMT