PUTRAJAYA, Aug 30 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said he might table the Budget 2023 in Parliament this October 7 himself.
The task has conventionally been carried out by the finance minister, currently Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
But Ismail Sabri said he will seek advice from the attorney general.
“It has to be checked in terms of the constitution, in terms of legislation. If it can't be done, it can't be done; if possible, can be considered.
“So no matter what, wait for advice from the Attorney General,” he told reporters after addressing civil servants at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre here.
Word that Ismail Sabri might be tabling the Budget first came from former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who claimed he had been informed by a Cabinet member.
Muhyiddin added that having the PM present it in Parliament indicated that the next general election is just around the corner.
If Ismail ends up tabling the Budget, it would break the long-standing tradition of the Finance Ministry.
An exception to this is when the person who handles the Finance Ministry portfolio is also the prime minister, which was the case when Datuk Seri Najib Razak led the government from 2009 to May 2018.
The highly anticipated Budget 2023 was initially scheduled to be tabled on October 28 but brought forward three weeks to October 7 after Ismail Sabri exercised his authority as prime minister under Rule 11(2) of the Dewan Rakyat's Standing Order.
No reason was given for moving up the date.
