Sabotaging Budget 2021 is meant to slap the Agong’s face
Basically, a rejection of Budget 2021 would be a tight slap on His Majesty the Agong’s face, forcing His Majesty to reconsider his decision of appointing Muhyiddin as PM8. This is to teach His Majesty the Agong a lesson and show His Majesty that he made a serious mistake in appointing Muhyiddin as the Prime Minister.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
There are many reasons why one would oppose Budget 2021 and try to make it fail. And the reason would depend on who you are.
The anti-Muhyiddin Yassin faction in Umno opposes Budget 2021 to demonstrate that “the Prime Minister does not command the confidence of the majority of the House”.
One prerequisite for Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong appointing one of the 222 members of parliament as the Prime Minister is His Majesty the Agong is of the opinion that that candidate whom His Majesty appoints as the Prime Minister commands the confidence of the majority of the House.
Hence, if Budget 2021 can be sabotaged, the anti-Muhyiddin faction in Umno can prove that His Majesty the Agong was wrong and that the Prime Minister does not command the confidence of the majority of the House.
A rejection of Budget 2021 would be a tight slap on His Majesty the Agong’s face
Basically, a rejection of Budget 2021 would be a tight slap on His Majesty the Agong’s face, forcing His Majesty to reconsider his decision of appointing Muhyiddin as PM8. This is to teach His Majesty the Agong a lesson and show His Majesty the Agong that he made a serious mistake in appointing Muhyiddin as the Prime Minister.
Okay, who then does the anti-Muhyiddin faction in Umno want as the Prime Minister instead? That will be decided later after Muhyiddin has been ousted…asalkan bukan Muhyiddin or someone from Bersatu.
Pakatan Harapan opposes Budget 2021 because they want to make the government look bad. And if by opposing Budget 2021 Muhyiddin can be ousted, then even better. Then Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad or Anwar Ibrahim can take over as PM9. Which one will depend on…well, not sure yet will depend on what!
The NGOs and civil society movements oppose Budget 2021 because they want free money from the government without having to pay any tax.
Anwar wants to sabotage Budget 2021 so that he can become PM9 after being PM-in-waiting for 30 years
As long as income tax and GST are zero and the rakyat receive free education, free healthcare, free road tax, free cukai pintu or council tax, free highway toll, free duties on cars so that cars become less than half the current price, minimum wage RM2,000 a month, work only four days a week, etc., then they will support Budget 2021.
And PAS…well PAS does not oppose Budget 2021 because all that these PAS people are concerned about is perpaduan ummah or Muslim unity, praying, fasting, going to Mekah, and going to heaven when they die, and are too stupid to realise that they can blackmail the Prime Minister and get money if they oppose Budget 2021.
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It is ironic to note that the label and all of its connotation can be bandied about even by those who snugly fit the bill, Mustafa K Anuar writes.
Aliran
Treachery is a powerful word meaning betrayal of trust that carries a meaning that is as emotive as it is political.
When used in a national context, the term suggests a heinous deed that subverts the collective interest of the rakyat and the country as a whole. It has a chilling effect on the people.
Of late, this term has been used by certain politicians in a shrunken Dewan Rakyat session discussing the much-awaited Budget 2021.
This was prompted by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz’s threat that the government machinery – and economic recovery packages – would grind to a halt if the vital supply bill is rejected by parliamentarians, a claim refuted by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has apparently gone through a similar process.
This triggered Arau MP Shahidan Kassim to warn that whoever rejects the Budget would be deemed a traitor -a very strong word indeed that was trained at former health minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
To be sure, former Prime Minister Najib Razak did declare that Barisan Nasional would only support the Budget if the government agreed to extend the loan moratorium and allow workers to withdraw Employees Provident Fund savings of RM10,000 in a lump sum.
Umno advisory council chairman Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah called on lawmakers to think about their constituents’ interests and not merely adhere to party orders when deciding which way to vote.
The opposition too has its complaints about the Budget, one of which is a controversial RM85.5m allocation to Jasa, or Special Affairs Department, that was disbanded under the Pakatan Harapan government.
Opposition leaders also rightly argued that as representatives of the people, the MPs have a crucial responsibility to ensure that the Budget would adequately benefit the people. To rubber stamp the proposed Budget would be a dereliction of their duties and betrayal of the people’s trust.
Concerned Malaysians would obviously expect the opposition not to oppose the budget merely for the sake of opposing, but to scrutinise its various aspects with the people’s interests and their current economic hardship in mind.
As many of us are aware, the Budget is the first litmus test on the political legitimacy of the nine-month-old Muhyiddin Yassin government with a majority that is wafer-thin – and made thinner by the recent death of BN Gerik MP Hasbullah Osman. A rejection of the Budget has the potential to cause the government to collapse.
To reiterate, the accusations of treachery and supposed betrayal of the interests of the people, which are being hurled by those supporting the Budget, must be seen in the present tense political context.
The last time the term was applied and it gained currency was when the PH government fell under the weight of the shenanigans of its defectors and others of similar ilk.
For PH and its supporters, the people’s mandate and trust were betrayed by the very people now leading the government, which puts their political legitimacy into question. It is easy to understand why the latter are seen to be the embodiment of betrayal.
It is ironic to note that the label and all of its connotation can be bandied about even by those who snugly fit the bill.
