Malaysia’s Muhyiddin Yassin wins draft budget vote, overcoming leadership test
- The 2021 budget bill has moved past the so-called policy stage following a voice vote in the 222-seat parliament
- But the bill can still be defeated in upcoming debates in the committee stage of deliberations
The budget bill moved past the so-called policy stage following a voice vote in the 222-seat parliament, though it can still be defeated in upcoming debates in the committee stage of deliberations.
Soon after the vote, a spokesman for the country’s king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, said the constitutional monarch was gladdened by the development and thanked MPs for their decision.
The king, who in October made an unprecedented call for lawmakers across the political divide to back the budget amid the Covid-19 pandemic, said he had full confidence in Muhyiddin’s administration.
The prime minister, meanwhile, said his victory with the backing of the opposition showed that the ruling administration was “always open to considering all views and criticism”.
The parliamentary opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, said his Pakatan Harapan alliance could still “choose to reject [the bill] or call for [individual balloting] if deemed necessary” during subsequent deliberations that begin on Monday.
Before Thursday, the prospect of Muhyiddin suffering an embarrassing defeat loomed large, with no clear indication if he commanded the support required to pass the budget.
