The tabling of the federal budget last week was not in vain because the people now know what to expect should Ismail Sabri Yaakob become prime minister again, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.
“So it was not a waste of time,” he said in response to criticism of the budget being tabled only for Parliament to be dissolved three days later.
A fresh budget for federal expenditure in 2023 must now be approved by the incoming Parliament after the general election.
Khairy, who is a member of Ismail’s caretaker government, said the budget tabled on Friday was a commitment by Ismail and could be re-tabled should Barisan Nasional be returned to power.
Khairy said funds had been allocated for all the initiatives tabled by finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz. “It’s not a manifesto,” he said.
The provisional budget called for RM372 billion in planned expenditure for the year ahead. Tengku Zafrul had also said that the 1999 budget had to be tabled afresh after Parliament was dissolved for a general election. – FMT