Zahid calls on govt to table motion of confidence in Parliament
PARLIAMENT | Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi wants the government to table a motion of confidence to be debated in the Dewan Rakyat.
Speaking during the Budget 2020 debate, Zahid (BN-Bagan Datuk) said such motions must be put to the test and should not be hindered by standing orders.
"This august House is the best stage for the country to set a stable political situation.
"Whether it is through a motion of confidence or otherwise, it must be put to the test in this House.
"Let the government themselves make this a prioritised government motion, that is to bring a motion of confidence to this House," he said.
He said this after making remarks about the need for sincerity in political cooperation.
Currently, there are two motions of confidence supporting Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin from government backbenchers but they are far down on the Order Paper and will not likely be heard during this Parliament sitting.
The same goes for the 25 motions of no confidence filed by the opposition - which Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (BN-Gua Musang) insist should be debated.
Should the executive move a confidence motion as part of government business, the motion will be pushed as a priority to be heard as per the Standing Orders.
Umno's support for the Perikatan Nasional government has been fluctuating - over dissatisfaction that it had not been treated with the respect it deserves as the biggest party in the loose ruling coalition.
Najib Abdul Razak (BN-Pekan) last week said BN's support for Budget 2021 would also be conditional on two factors.
They are a blanket loan moratorium extension and permission of up to RM10,000 withdrawal from an individual's Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Account 1.
Zahid said earlier that on the EPF withdrawals, Finance Minister Tengku Zaful Abdul Aziz had met with the fund's CEO yesterday and that "adjustments" had been made that were "suitable" to Najib's proposals.
The EPF on Monday announced that those who lost their jobs, were given no-pay leave, or have no other source of income can withdraw up to 10 percent of their Account 1 savings, as long as they have a minimum of RM100 in their savings.
Zahid also said he was confident that there were efforts to coordinate with banks on a moratorium.
Meanwhile, the Umno president said any efforts to declare a nationwide emergency must be rejected.
However, localised emergencies as the government announced in Batu Sapi, Sabah yesterday, were understandable.
The Batu Sapi emergency was declared to postpone a by-election there, and avoid the spread of Covid-19.
Meanwhile, Hassan Abdul Karim (Pakatan Harapan-Pasir Gudang) urged the Tengku Zafrul to heed the recommendations brought by Harapan lawmakers on Budget 2021.
"I look at the budget as a vote of confidence for the government of the day. If the budget is rejected at the Dewan Rakyat on Nov 26, then it is perceived as the prime minister and the government having lost the confidence of the parliamentarians.
"I hope the finance minister, if he loves the PN government and is reluctant to see its rejection, to listen to what we said and make an amendment to the budget. Listen to the people, failing so, the government will fall on Nov 26," he said.
The budget, which was tabled on Nov 6, is slated to be passed at the policy stage or second reading at Dewan Rakyat next Thursday.
A total of 82 parliamentarians participated in the debate at the policy stage over the past two weeks. Starting next Monday, the government will begin to wind up the budget debate.
In their debates, opposition lawmakers demanded for a unity budget that is able to revive the economy and called for the government to expand the bank loan moratorium for another six months.
