KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 2): Dewan Rakyat opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Pakatan Harapan’s maiden budget was not dissimilar to previous budgets.

At the same time, however, he observed that Budget 2019 lacks new initiatives for the public.

“We think that the Budget 2019 is not much different from previous Federal Government budgets. There were also no new initiatives or surprises for the people; there was also no special allocation to the farmers and fisherman, despite soft commodity prices,” Zahid, who is Umno president, told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

“There are some reductions in terms of costs for mega projects, but these are the result of a reduction in scope and specification, so this is not cost saving.

“To increase government income, they proposed to sell government’s assets. This is a backward policy, as it will reduce the government’s shareholding in government-linked companies; so overall, the opposition rejects this Budget 2019.”