PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin thanked all MPs who voted to pass the 2021 budget today, saying they recognised the importance of implementing programmes to fight the Covid-19 pandemic and improve the lives of people, especially those from the B40 and M40 groups.
In a Facebook post today, he said the MPs who voted for the budget had upheld the royal advice of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who had previously urged all MPs to pass the annual budget in light of the challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He also thanked all Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional, GPS and PBS MPs who had supported the budget since its policy stage.
“I hope MPs can continue to give the best services to the rakyat and the country.”
He also said the strong support for the budget had proven that decisions made by the PN government took into account the welfare, safety and wellbeing of the rakyat, on top of the country’s economic recovery.
“I would once again like to congratulate Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz who had worked hard to prepare the budget from the earlier stages until it was passed today.”
The government had faced the threat of failing to get the budget passed because of its slim majority in the Dewan Rakyat.
Yesterday, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Umno stalwart Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah had held a press conference to urge MPs to go beyond party lines in their vote for the budget and hinted that PN would fall today.
The budget was passed narrowly with 111 ayes, 108 nays and one abstention today.
Tengku Razaleigh abstained while two of the 222 MPs have died — Liew Vui Keong (Warisan-Batu Sapi) and Hasbullah Osman (BN-Gerik).
The passing of the budget has proved Muhyiddin’s majority support in the House and he will continue to head the government.