KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal 2023 Budget, which was scheduled to be tabled on Oct 28, will now be held earlier. It is now expected to be presented in the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 7 – three weeks earlier than scheduled.
The Cabinet, which met on Friday (Aug 26), was informed of the decision by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, according to reports from national portals.
“This is normal. During Pak Lah’s (former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) time, the Budget was tabled in September,” the Prime Minister said after the launch of the UDA Usaha Niaga Keluarga Malaysia carnival in Kuala Lumpur today.
When asked to confirm the new date the Budget will be tabled, he merely said to wait for Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar to announce it.
In separate report, Wan Junaidi confirmed the new date for the tabling of the new Budget, saying that the third meeting of the fifth session of the 14th Parliament will start earlier on Oct 3.
This development was viewed by political observers to be as an indication that the general election will be held soon as it is customary for a government to only call for an election after the Budget has been passed.
To this, the Santubong MP denied that there is any link between the earlier tabling of the Budget to the calling of an earlier general election, which has been widely speculated to take place this year.
“No, there is no discussion on the general election, which is very much still the prerogative of the prime minister (who will) go and seek an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (to dissolve the Parliament),” Wan Junaidi was quoted as saying.
