FINANCE Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said if the proposed budget was not passed, the government will not be able to pay all commitments including the salaries of civil servants and this will affect front-line workers fighting Covid-19.

The statement did not go well with the opposition. Its leader, Anwar Ibrahim, called it a “tasteless statement that smells of intimidation” aimed at cowing the opposition lawmakers into falling in line. 

A worried teacher in a government secondary school in Seremban has already written of her fear if the proposed budget is not passed.

Will the salaries of civil servants not be paid if the proposed budget was not passed?

Let’s go back twenty-one years in time to 1999.

It was October 29, 1999 and budget day. Daim Zainuddin was the first finance minister. He duly presented the proposed Budget 2000 – Supply Bill 2000.

It was a budget which proposed emphasis on expansionary policies to sustain continuing growth as the country moved into the new millennium.

It was also said to be a budget that had something for everybody. The people would gain and so too would corporate citizens. Only the government would lose, it was said.

As expected, the opposition called it an election budget. For several months during the year, there had been intense speculation that the then prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, would call for a general election. The main motivation was said to be the economy – in recession throughout 1998 and the first quarter of 1997 as a result of the Asian financial crisis in 1997 – which had improved.

Indeed, the country went into a general election when Parliament was dissolved on November 11, the proclamation of dissolution of the Ninth Parliament having been read in the Dewan Rakyat by the speaker on November 10.

So the much-hyped budget for the new millenium – part of it was to pay the salaries of civil servants – did not see the light of day.

In less than three weeks after the dissolution of Parliament, the tenth general election was held on November 29. The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition secured another election victory and another two-thirds majority in Parliament despite facing a united opposition.

The tenth Parliament did not have to wait long to be summoned by the king. It came about on December 20, exactly three weeks after the general election but Parliament effectively had only for four days to provide for government expenditure in 2000 – including the payment of salaries of civil servants.

Which explains why the Order of Business for the day included a government bill – Supplementary Supply Bill 1999 to provide for government expenditure for the early part of 2000. This was explained by Daim:

“Oleh kerana Anggaran Perbelanjaan Pembangunan bagi tahun 2000 tidak dapat dibincangkan dan diluluskan oleh Dewan ini sehingga tahun hadapan, maka perlu peruntukan disediakan untuk kerajaan membiayai segala perbelanjaan yang mustahak pada awal tahun hadapan sehingga Anggaran Perbelanjaan Pembangunan 2000 dibentang dan diluluskan dalam Dewan ini.

“Anggaran Perbelanjaan Pembangunan Sementara ini bertujuan untuk menyediakan peruntukan bagi membiayai perbelanjaan pembangunan bagi awal tahun hadapan sementara menunggu Anggaran Perbelanjaan Pembangunan 2000 diluluskan oleh Dewan ini.”

The bill was duly passed two days later on December 22. The government did not go into a lockdown and the civil servants did not go unpaid.

Budget 2000 was only retabled on February 25, 2000 and passed on April 12, 2000.

No responsible government-of-the-day will allow for its expenditure – including payment of salaries of civil servants – not to be approved before a financial year ends.

Worried Teacher and the people should not be unduly worried. – November 18, 2020.

* Hafiz Hassan reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.