Yesterday was Pakatan’s 19th, not 1st budget

So Pakatan Harapan has actually 19 years-experience in preparing budgets (first as Barisan Alternatif, then as Pakatan Rakyat, and now as Pakatan Harapan). And each and every year Pakatan Harapan’s Alternative Budget has always been far better and more impressive than the government’s budget. 

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Yesterday, Pakatan Harapan presented its 19th budget, a.k.a. Budget 2019. Pakatan Harapan presented its first budget, Budget 2000, back in 1999 when the coalition was still called Barisan Alternatif (comprising PKR, DAP, PAS and PRM).

One of the economic advisers to Barisan Alternatif since 1999 is Jomo Kwame Sundaram, now a member of the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP). Current members of the cabinet such as Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad were also in Barisan Alternatif’s budget committee.

Jomo, a member of the CEP, has been Pakatan Harapan’s economic adviser since 1999

The press is reporting yesterday’s budget as Pakatan Harapan’s FIRST budget. That is actually not true. It may be Pakatan Harapan’s FIRST budget as the government, but it is Pakatan’s 19th and not 1st budget to be presented in Parliament. The only thing is the first 18 budgets were presented as the Alternative Budget.

So Pakatan Harapan has actually 19 years-experience in preparing budgets (first as Barisan Alternatif, then as Pakatan Rakyat, and now as Pakatan Harapan). And each and every year Pakatan Harapan’s Alternative Budget has always been far better and more impressive than the government’s budget.

Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad has been involved in preparing Pakatan Harapan’s budget for 19 years

Yesterday, however, Pakatan Harapan’s Budget 2019 left much to be desired. How come for 18 years, when it was the opposition, Pakatan Harapan was able to prepare a fantastic budget but now that it is the government the budget is hopeless?

When Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi presented his budget in 2003 he did not say that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad messed up the economy for 22 years so Budget 2004 runs at a deficit because of what the previous prime minister did.

When Najib Tun Razak presented his budget in 2009 he did not say that Abdullah messed up the economy for six years so Budget 2010 runs at a deficit because of what the previous prime minister did.

Guan Eng blames Najib for Pakatan Harapan’s poor Budget 2019

Lim Guan Eng, however, explains his not very impressive Budget 2019 by blaming the previous prime minister. A good finance minister will know how to present a good budget whether in a booming or in a recession economy. If Guan Eng needs everything to be honky-dory before he can do his job then maybe he is not the best man for the job after all.

Yes, Guan Eng admits Budget 2019 is not that good but he says it is not his fault, it is the previous government’s fault. Is he going to say the same thing in the next four years when he presents Budget 2020, Budget 2021, Budget 2022 and Budget 2023?

The bottom line is for 19 years from 1999 to 2018, Pakatan Harapan always said they know better how to run the country. For 19 years from 1999 to 2018, Pakatan Harapan was able to present its Alternative Budget which was far better and more impressive than the government’s budget. Now that Pakatan Harapan is the government, Budget 2019, Pakatan Harapan’s 19th budget, is not so impressive anymore.

For 18 years Pakatan Harapan has always presented a far better and more impressive Alternative Budget but now that it is the government it is not able to repeat that ‘success’

I suppose it is easy to talk and make many promises when you are the opposition and need not actually deliver your promises. You can promise the moon and the stars knowing you do not actually need to deliver the moon and the stars. So, in your last 18 Alternative Budgets, you can make all sorts of wonderful promises to show how your ideas are far better than the government’s ideas.

But when you are the government you need to cut out all these wonderful promises that you made in your Alternative Budgets since 1999. Now that you are the government you will be expected to deliver your promises. Hence Pakatan Harapan’s Budget 2019 yesterday cannot be as wonderful as its last 18 Alternative Budgets from 1999 to 2018.

Let me repeat that yesterday was NOT Pakatan Harapan’s FIRST budget, as what the media is reporting, but is Pakatan Harapan’s 19th budget since 1999. The only thing is the first 18 budgets were pretty good while the 19th budget yesterday fell short of the first 18 budgets from 1999 to 2017.