KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 — The Supplementary Supply Bill (2019) 2020 to seek additional expenditure totalling RM7,005,753,850 for services in 2019 was approved at the policy stage by majority voice in the Dewan Rakyat today.

A total of 12 Members of Parliament (MPs) took part in the debate on the bill after it was tabled for second reading by Deputy Finance Minister 1 Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri.

Abdul Rahim, when winding up the debate, said the additional budget was for expenditure in 2019 which should have been approved but could not be passed that year and was thus brought forward to this year.

“This budget is something which has to be approved; it is budget already spent by the previous government and I am actually helping YB Bagan (former finance minister Lim Guan Eng) to approve this budget,” he added.

The bill will be tabled at the Committee stage for debate tomorrow.

Earlier, Abdul Rahim, when tabling the bill, said the additional expenditure was being sought for excess transfer from the 2019 Consolidated Account to the Development Fund totalling RM1.072 billion, and RM778.6 million was to meet unexpected expenditure in 2019.

A sum of RM5.155 billion was for direct additional allocations to ministries and departments which had been given approval to spend in excess of allocations to finance matters committed in 2019.

The ministries involved in these supplementary expenditure estimates are the Finance Ministry with RM3.628 billion, Health Ministry (RM1.179 billion), Housing and Local Government Ministry (RM635.9 million), Education Ministry (RM623.7 million), Defence Ministry (RM362.9 million), Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry (RM313.2 million) and International Trade and Industry Ministry (RM77.1 million).

It also involved the Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry (RM58.2 million), Primary Industries Ministry (RM40.3 million), Economic Affairs Ministry (RM39.4 million), Works Ministry (RM16.1 million), Election Commission (RM15.6 million), Foreign Ministry (RM13.9 million) and Transport Ministry (RM50).

The Dewan Rakyat will sit again tomorrow. — Bernama