‘Walkout disrespects democracy’
SPEECH: You may not agree with the budget, but it is for the people, says PM
PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has criticised the opposition for staging a walkout during the tabling of the 2017 Budget in Parliament on Friday.
He said the walkout, which involved the majority of opposition lawmakers who were present, was disrespectful towards parliamentary democracy.
He said the tabling of the 2017 Budget was an important practice in a parliamentary democracy because it contained efforts meant to benefit the people.
“When the budget is presented, even though you may not agree with it, it is still a budget in the parliamentary democracy system, so it is a budget for the people and nation.
“But if they (the opposition) do not respect the budget tabling, then they also do not respect parliamentary democracy and the budget’s contents, which are meant for the people,” Bernama quoted Najib as saying in Bangkok yesterday after paying his last respects to Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the
Grand Palace.
Najib said on Twitter that the opposition had “disrespected the people” by walking out of Parliament during the tabling of the budget.
“The opposition disrespected the people by walking out when the budget was tabled for debate.
“We talked about welfare, but they turned their backs.”
Najib, who is also finance minister, was midway through his 2017 Budget speech when a majority of opposition members of parliament staged a walkout.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia tried to restore order, but the MPs did not back down and relented only when he warned to eject them from Parliament.
Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the opposition lawmakers who walked out did so because they knew the budget would be well received.
“The budget addresses the needs of the low-income group as well as civil servants. The opposition realises that this will be a popular and well-accepted budget.
“That is why they walked out of the Dewan Rakyat in the middle of the tabling,” said Nur Jazlan, who is also deputy home minister.
In Pasir Puteh, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said opposition parliamentarians’ walkout was “childish” and “immature”.
He commended Pas lawmakers and Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal for maintaining discipline and respecting the rules of Parliament.
“The walkout shows that they (the opposition) are immature.”
He said opposition lawmakers disrespected voters as they were elected to sit in Parliament and listen to the tabling of the budget, which was meant for the benefit of the people.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said Pas parliamentarians had proven that they were civilised and professional by not joining the walkout.
He said although Pas MPs might not have agreed with the budget, they did not stage a walkout or stand up and protest during the tabling.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, however, came to the defence of opposition lawmakers, saying he understood the reason behind their action.
“The walkout happened because Najib used the budget speech to attack the opposition, a former prime minister and two former deputy prime ministers.” Additional reporting by Hana Naz Harun, Rizalman Hammim, Sulaiman Jaafar and Audrey Dermawan