PAKATAN Harapan’s (PH) plan to vote against the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) budget did not materialise as none of its 90 MPs stood up to call for a vote today.

With a simple voice vote, PMO’s RM4.52 billion budget was passed at 7.18pm.

On Saturday, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng urged PH lawmakers to vote against the cabinet’s decision to approve in principle to give former prime minister Najib Razak (Pekan-BN) a piece of property worth millions during the committee stage debate of Supply Bill 2022.

Lim, who is the Bagan MP, suggested that PH lawmakers call for division voting to object to the government’s decision.

But when it came to the vote today, none of them stood up to call for a division vote.

According to Standing Order 46(4), a minimum 15 MPs are needed to rise to call for a division vote.

This is the second time PH has decided not to vote against the Budget after saying it would.

During this time last year, PH had also decided at the last minute not to vote against Budget 2021 at the policy stage, allowing it to be passed easily.

Although Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim (Port Dickson-PH) later said he had decided against it at the last minute so that the lawmakers could study the budget changes at the committee stage and oppose it there, his plan failed to materialise.

Dewan Rakyat is currently debating the Supply Bill 2022 at the committee stage and will continue tomorrow with the National Unity Ministry and Foreign Ministry taking the floor. – November 22, 2021.