Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is pictured before the tabling of Budget 2017 in Putrajaya October 21, 2016. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — The Budget 2017 Bill cleared the policy stage in the Dewan Rakyat this evening with 117 MPs voting for it, 70 against and 11 from PAS who abstained during the bloc voting.
PAS information chief Nasruddin Hassan said abstinence was the Islamist party’s way to protest the Budget.
The Temerloh MP said there were certain aspects that PAS did not agree with, but added that they did not want to object to the Budget outright either as there were some parts they found to be good.
“There are some things that we oppose and we have opposed in our speech and our statement we have given our views and that is one of our ways.
“We don't want to oppose completely because there are some things which are good in the Budget which needs to reach the people. Take development and management sectors for instance those things is something we don't want to oppose in total,” he told reporters in the Parliament lobby later.
However, PAS’ Pokok Sena MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar broke with the party’s decision and joined the other Opposition members to vote against the Budget.
PAS has 14 MPs and two were absent during the bloc vote, including party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS-Marang) and Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli (PAS-Dungun).
Earlier, there was a commotion in the House when Finance Minister II Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani was winding up.
Many Opposition lawmakers interjected his speech to ask about the status of investigations concerning sovereign investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Among those was DAP's Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo who wanted to know the progress of police investigations on 1MDB.
Johari replied that the investigation was underway and there wasn't any cover up from the authorities but he did not have the details.
“I am here to answer questions on the Budget but not on the issue of police investigations which I am not privy to the details," he said.
The minister said the police investigations started because the Auditor-General was dissatisfied with the outcome of the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry.
“Because the Auditor-General is not happy, that is why there is an investigation by the police,” he said.
Debate for the committee stage of Budget 2017 will resume tomorrow.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/budget-2017-makes-it-to-policy-stage#sthash.dZU9hNlM.dpuf
PAS information chief Nasruddin Hassan said abstinence was the Islamist party’s way to protest the Budget.
The Temerloh MP said there were certain aspects that PAS did not agree with, but added that they did not want to object to the Budget outright either as there were some parts they found to be good.
“There are some things that we oppose and we have opposed in our speech and our statement we have given our views and that is one of our ways.
“We don't want to oppose completely because there are some things which are good in the Budget which needs to reach the people. Take development and management sectors for instance those things is something we don't want to oppose in total,” he told reporters in the Parliament lobby later.
However, PAS’ Pokok Sena MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar broke with the party’s decision and joined the other Opposition members to vote against the Budget.
PAS has 14 MPs and two were absent during the bloc vote, including party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS-Marang) and Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli (PAS-Dungun).
Earlier, there was a commotion in the House when Finance Minister II Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani was winding up.
Many Opposition lawmakers interjected his speech to ask about the status of investigations concerning sovereign investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Among those was DAP's Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo who wanted to know the progress of police investigations on 1MDB.
Johari replied that the investigation was underway and there wasn't any cover up from the authorities but he did not have the details.
“I am here to answer questions on the Budget but not on the issue of police investigations which I am not privy to the details," he said.
The minister said the police investigations started because the Auditor-General was dissatisfied with the outcome of the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry.
“Because the Auditor-General is not happy, that is why there is an investigation by the police,” he said.
Debate for the committee stage of Budget 2017 will resume tomorrow.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/budget-2017-makes-it-to-policy-stage#sthash.dZU9hNlM.dpuf
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