Star Exclusive - Possible state of emergency ahead of Budget 2021

If the proposed emergency is approved, this could be a move by the government to elimiate the risk of Budget 2021being rejected in Parliament. The budget is much-anticipated by economists and the rakyat, considering the need to further support economic activities that have been affected by the coronavirus-induced crisis.

The Perikatan Nasional (PN) government’s rumoured plan to announce a state of emergency ahead of Budget 2021 appears to be a strategic move to avoid the budget from being defeated and to end political squabbles for the time being.

“With a state of emergency, the Parliament will no longer be in effect. The budget would be presented to the Cabinet and it can be approved without the vote from all 222 Members of Parliament (MPs), ” says a political observer.

At the time of writing, it remains unclear how the emergency would play out, pending an official announcement. Highly-placed sources say the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah would have the final say as to when the state of emergency will take effect.