KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 — The government said it is ready for any possibility that may arise during the winding-up of Budget 2024 on Thursday, including a potential bloc vote from the Opposition.

Deputy Minister of Finance I Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan was reported saying he remains optimistic that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's second Budget will receive majority support with the approval of the Supply Bill 2024 in the Dewan Rakyat.

"We hope that [today] is just a voice vote, no need for bloc vote.

"But we need to be prepared for a bloc vote, and I am confident that all MPs from Barisan Nasional (BN), Pakatan Harapan (PH), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), including the 18 parties, will be present in Parliament,” he told Sinar Harian.

Ahmad said his confidence is backed by the two Perikatan Nasional (PN) MPs — Kuala Kangsar and Labuan — who have pledged their support for the government.

"On the government's side, there are 148 MPs, but excluding one from Muar, that makes it 147, and Kemaman is vacant, so there are 146.

"Although there are 75 opposition members, two of them have expressed their support for the government, bringing the government's total back to 148, which is two-thirds of the total number in the house,” he told Sinar Harian.

Malaysian United Democratic Alliance's (Muda) Muar MP Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman had previously withdrawn his support for the government, citing a need for a third bloc.

On October 12, Perikatan Nasional (PN) Kuala Kangsar MP Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid, declared his allegiance to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's leadership.

It came a day before Anwar tabled his second Budget, the government's biggest federal spending yet at RM393.8 billion to date.

As Anwar's government seeks to rationalise existing subsidy spending to consolidate the country’s fiscal position, Budget 2024's amount is over RM7.66 billion than the one tabled last February.

Most recently, on Monday, PN Labuan MP Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman also expressed support for Anwar after considering the plight of the people in his area.