Opposition pours cold water on goodies promised for Penang next year

Ready for gruelling session: State Opposition Leader Datuk Jahara Hamid (top photo, in green) leading the Barisan Nasional team while (bottom, middle) Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng leads his team from Pakatan Harapan for the tabling of the state Budget 2018 on the first day of the state assembly meeting.

THE Penang Opposition has scoffed at the state government’s attempt to ‘brand’ next year’s budget as “a budget for the many” or “Belanjawan Marhaen” in Bahasa Malaysia.

Opposition Leader Datuk Jahara Hamid said ‘marhaen’ referred to low-income groups such as fishermen and farmers while the state budget did not benefit many of them.