MUKAH: The national budget 2021 to be tabled by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in Parliament on Nov 6 should receive good support.
In saying this, Dalat assemblywoman Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said she was hoping both the lawmakers from the political divides to give their undivided support. This would enable the government to stay focus in managing the country amidst Covid-19 pandemic.
The Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development minister said she was worried about the situation in Malaya where the ruling government has a small majority as compared to the Sarawak situation. This pertains to possible problem on the budget approval due to the small majority.
If a change happens and the budget receives no support, then there might be a problem to approve the budget for expenditure next year, she said.
“The budget has to be approved so that the government could also approve allocation for expenditure,” she told reporters after officiating at the Excellence Service Awards and Teachers Retirement Dalat district-level 2020 ceremony at a hotel resort, 15km from town on Saturday (Oct 24).
She was responding to rumours of an emergency declaration that was expected earlier on Friday (Oct 23), but the prime minister did not announce it later that night.
According to her, the budget was needed particularly to help deal with Covid-19 pandemic because there has been an increase in the total cases in Malaya as compared to Sarawak with only one-digit case daily due to good self-discipline and high percentage of compliance to the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Fatimah, who is also Dalat assemblywoman pointed out that, now in Malaya the daily case had reached three digits, which was higher than at the beginning when the case was first reported, and this was the difference compared to Sarawak.
She said the second difference was the political situation in Sarawak which was stable compared to Malaya, where there was a tussle for the prime minister post and party hopping. This gives uncertainty which might cause instability and therefore it is not good for the country.
On the rumoured state of emergency which the prime minister did not announce on Friday night, she noted that it was different from the emergency used to deal with the communist insurgence.
She explained that any measure taken by government was intended to focus on dealing with Covid-19, and to ensure political stability so that the budget could be approved.
Fatimah added the political situation in Sarawak was not the same as in Malaya because the former was stable, although the state was going to hold its election.
She hoped that in the coming election the ruling government led by Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) could win comfortably. This will enable the political situation to be always be stable, thereby enabling the government to focus on development and continue to empower Sarawak and priortise the state in line with “Sarawak First”.
