FEDERAL Territories Minister Annuar Musa is hopeful that parliamentarians on both sides of the political divide will heed the king’s call to support the budget bill which will be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on November 6.

“Advice is advice and we hope it is adhered to but it is not illegal for certain quarters to want to take a different position as is their right to do as members of parliament” he said in a press conference today.

“But we hope His Majesty’s call is given serious consideration.”

Annuar said it was anybody’s guess what will happen when the Dewan Rakyat convenes its third sitting on November 2.

He said in spite of the king’s order, it was possible the government could fail to get the spending bill passed into law, indicating loss of majority support Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s seven-month rule.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah yesterday advised all MPs to support the budget in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, as there was an urgent need for medical supplies, and extra funds for front-liners.

A rejection of the budget could be treated as a sign of no-confidence against Muhyiddin.

On Putrajaya’s attempt to secure emergency powers, Annuar said many had misconstrued that the laws would be suspended if an emergency was declared.

“People think under an emergency, it would be like a military rule and the constitution would not be in effect. That’s not true. The legislative will empower the Agong to enact laws for certain matters,” he said.

He explained that in the event of an emergency, the King will be empowered to make certain decisions and only certain clauses in the federal constitution will be suspended. 

This would also shorten the process of passing the budget as it would not have to go through the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara before it is approved by the King, he added.

Taking the budget as an example, Annuar said the King could approve the spending plan as an ordinance in the event of an emergency.

“For instance, if the budget is not approved because the government is weak, then the government will not be able to spend money, pay the salaries of front-liners or buy medicines. What would happen to the people? That would lead to a bigger disaster,” he said.

He added that if the budget is not approved then a general election would have to be called. This, in turn, would cause spread of the Covid-19 to worsen even further. – October 29, 2020.