KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 — The finance minister can still make changes to the government’s proposed Budget 2021 which was tabled earlier this month, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi pointed out today.
The Bagan Datuk MP said Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz had done a good job in presenting next year’s budget, but offered suggestions for improvement.
“Although he is not a politician, but as a banking and corporate professional, he immediately understood the political needs and understood the sufferings of the public. As an ordinary human being, he is far from perfect. Certainly there are a few deficiencies in the Budget 2021.
“But the finance minister had carried out engagements with government and opposition MPs. This commendable attitude shown by him should be acknowledged by us all, this is an openness that we welcome,” Zahid said while debating the Budget in the Dewan Rakyat.
The Umno president then listed his ideas for improvements, including one for Malaysians who he said were not directly benefiting from the Budget.
As Zahid was speaking, Pontian MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan cut in, asking if the former agreed his suggestion for the finance minister to use ministerial statements to correct matters in the Budget 2021 speech or make improvements where possible, especially by incorporating suggestions raised by MPs during the debates.
Ahmad, who is also Umno secretary-general, had made the suggestion to Pekan MP Datuk Seri Najib Razak previously.
Zahid agreed with Ahmad’s proposal.
“It’s a good recommendation, because we see for ourselves the openness of the finance minister, his engagements not only with MPs but individually, he discussed matters in detail to get personal opinions,” he said.
He claimed Tengku Zafrul’s openness on Budget 2021 was unprecedented for a finance minister.
“These adjustments through ministerial statements can be done and later we have the committee stage to discuss the details.
“I think not just him, but other ministers should also take the same open attitude, we must agree to disagree and agree to agree,” Zahid added.
Today is the last day of the Dewan Rakyat’s debate by MPs on Budget 2021 at the policy stage, with next week to be the ministers’ turn to provide replies to the MPs and with a vote on the budget at the policy stage to be taken next Thursday (November 26).
If the Budget is approved by MPs at the policy stage, it will then move on to the Dewan Rakyat’s debate of the Budget at the committee stage on November 30 onwards.
