KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) is ready to offer its views and opinions to help tackle the political and health crises that the country is currently facing, DAP’s Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng said today.
Lim, who is DAP secretary-general, said the coalition is willing to consider accepting the government’s invitation to be part of the Economic Action Council.
“I want to state our stand in Pakatan Harapan, that if the government is really sincere about discussing the importance of the country including its direction, an invitation (for PH) to be a member of the Economic Action Council can be considered and accepted.
“We are willing to contribute constructive ideas for the sake of the people so that we can be united in tackling the political and health crises, as I have mentioned earlier,” Lim said during his debate on the Budget 2021 Bill in Parliament.
Lim, who was the finance minister under the PH government, had earlier in his speech pointed out that there are six areas which seemed to have been given inadequate attention in the Budget 2021 Bill.
They are, among others, economic, health, education and the country’s political landscape.
He however told the government not to politicise these issues by setting up the Special Affairs Department (Jasa) with an allocation of RM85.5 billion.
“But of course we hope that they don’t play politics by setting up Jasa with the allocation of RM85.5 billion.
“This should be rejected. And we (at PH) are ready to stand together with all MPs who want to reject the revival of Jasa,” said Lim.
In Budget 2021, the Perikatan Nasional government allocated RM85.5 million and justified that it was necessary to repopulate the unit with qualified staff.
Jasa was set up as Barisan Nasional’s propaganda unit, and was dissolved in 2018.
Before it was disbanded, Jasa was allocated RM30 million in the 2018 Budget under the leadership of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
