A new law was gazetted on March 30 to allow the Finance Ministry, mentris besar or chief ministers to approve any supplementary expenditure or withdrawal from the Consolidated Fund without having to go through the Dewan Rakyat or the state legislative assembly during this state of emergency imposed nationwide.
The law, called the Emergency (Essential Powers) (Amendment) Ordinance which came into effect immediately yesterday denotes another proof of the Perikatan Nasional-led government’s commitment and seriousness in addressing the urgency for disbursement of aids and other form of assistance to the people during this tough, challenging time of the post-Covid-19 pandemic recovery period.