PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is expected to allocate RM55.96 bil for Putrajaya’s interim “mini budget” when the Dewan Rakyat sits for the first time today since the General Elections (GE) in November.
The interim mini budget will be used mainly to pay the emoluments of civil servants while the Government works out a new budget for 2023.
The mini budget is the ninth item on the Dewan Rakyat’s order paper for today’s proceedings, indicating it is most likely to be tabled in parliament on Tuesday.
Today, Anwar will face a motion of confidence that will determine whether he has a majority to rule.
But first, there will be the swearing in of the Members of the Parliament (MPs) who will then elect a deputy speaker before proceeding with the vote of confidence.
The vote of confidence motion will be presented by one of the two deputy prime ministers.
The mini-budget is made necessary because following the dissolution of the Parliament in October before the Budget 2023 presented by then finance minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz could be approved.
The 2023 budget was presented by the government in October with an allocation of RM90.76 bil for emoluments.
A new budget is only expected next year, hence the need for this temporary funding to ensure smooth administration in Putrajaya.
This is not the first time Malaysia is seeing the tabling of an interim mini budget after the general election.
A two-part budget was presented in December 1999 and February 2000 following similar electoral circumstances.
The Government is expected to use a section of the Development Fund Act that allows supplementary budgets for unplanned expenditures to be tabled.
Upon his appointment last month, Anwar stated that the Government will review the proposals in the previous government’s budget and make any necessary changes before tabling his government’s budget. – Dec 19, 2022
