YANG di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has urged all lawmakers to support Budget 2021, to ensure the people’s wellbeing are cared for and the country’s economy restored amid the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Comptroller of the Royal Household Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said in a statement Sultan Abdullah was briefed on the budget by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin this morning.

“Sultan Abdullah said the budget, which will be tabled in the near future, is crucial to the government and the authorities, especially front-liners, to continue and launch policies in efforts to curb and deal with epidemic threats that continue to spread.

“Sultan Abdullah urged Dewan Rakyat members to respect his advice for them to immediately stop all political disputes and instead prioritise the welfare of the people and the country so that the budget is approved without any interruption,” the palace said in a statement today.

The Agong and Muhyiddin met earlier today in a pre-cabinet meeting, which lasted over an hour. The Perikatan Nasional leader briefed the monarch on the budget, which is to be tabled on November 6.

“Sultan Abdullah also expressed his full confidence in Muhyiddin’s ability to lead the country at a time when the country is being tested by various crises,” the palace said.

This comes amid threats Muhyiddin faces, mainly from PKR, to vote down the budget as a sign of no-confidence against the prime minister, who pushed for an emergency last week. 

The king had on Sunday rejected the emergency bid.

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, who claims he has majority to form government, is still waiting for the palace to have an audience with other political party leaders to confirm his numbers. 

The Port Dickson MP also said instead of blindly voting for the budget, the government and opposition should sit down and draft out a budget together. 

“In relation to the Budget 2021 that is due to be tabled soon, both the government and the opposition must take a bipartisan approach in crafting a robust strategy to face the Covid-19 pandemic and the pressing issue of unemployment and poverty,” Anwar said yesterday. 

Various parties, including DAP, have called for bipartisanship for the budget, but with terms and conditions including equal constituency allocations and an extension of the moratorium for bank loans. – October 28, 2020.