COMMENT | How may Budget 2021 be defeated or saved?

COMMENT | After rumours that the second reading vote on Budget 2021 may be postponed, it now appears that it will go ahead today.

As the government’s budget (technically called “supply bill”) may be rejected by the Parliament for the first time in Malaysia, it is important to understand how parliamentarianism works, so as not to fall prey to misinformation and disinformation.

Basic facts

Here are some basic facts:

First, scrutinising the budget is a key function of the Parliament. To ask MPs to unconditionally support a government budget is to ask them to abdicate their constitutional function.

Second, only ministers and deputy ministers are obliged to vote for the government’s budget while both opposition parliamentarians and government backbenchers have a free choice. Government parties have no power to stop their backbenchers from voting down the budget but can punish them afterwards.

Third, an outright defeat of the budget is equivalent to a loss of confidence in the government. Following this, the prime minister’s choice is to either resign or request for a fresh election. To seek a proclamation of emergency after a budget defeat is a coup against democracy and constitutional monarchy.

Fourth, passing a budget only requires a majority of MPs who vote, not a majority of all the MPs (112 votes)...