KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has today chided Perikatan Nasional (PN) lawmakers for citing holy scriptures to mock the government’s initiatives to end hardcore poverty.

In his winding-up speech for the policy stage of Budget 2023, Anwar, who is also finance minister, said that he will ensure that there will be no compromise for all the ministries to implement measures that have been set in the supply bill.

"How can we use the Quran scriptures that teach us about welfare, and we forgot about our responsibilities and welfare, and relate it to ‘Madani’ budget?

"This is what we call ‘riding on religion, using Quran scriptures to insult people’,” he said pointing towards Opposition MPs that cited the Muslim holy book during the Budget 2023 debate.

Earlier in his speech, Anwar said the pledge to end hardcore poverty in Malaysia this year was not an empty promise.

He also said it was not an unattainable goal, citing the example of Umar Abd al-Aziz of the Umayyad Caliphate in the seventh century.

"So, it is clear, if there is determination and seriousness, with good governance and organized efforts, then we are able to eliminate hardcore poverty in Malaysia,” he added.

Anwar’s Budget 2023 sailed through the policy stage via a voice vote at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Parliament Speaker Datuk Seri Johari Abdul called the vote on the Supply Bill 2023 after a winding-up speech from Anwar, who is also the finance minister.