KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 17): The Dewan Rakyat has passed the Supply (Reallocation of Appropriated Expenditure) Bill 2020 with a majority vote at the committee level, after the RM7.18 bill passed its second reading by a narrow five-vote margin.
The bill, which was first tabled by Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz on July 21 following the restructuring of a few ministries, establishment of several new ministries and the dissolution of one ministry in line with the formation of the new Cabinet on March 10, will next be brought to the Dewan Negara for debate and approval.
The additional expenditure was applied for, among others, the Prime Minister's Department totalling RM310.62 million, Treasury (RM17.25 million) and Treasury General Services (RM2.41 million).
Some of the larger amounts earmarked for the ministries include RM5.92 billion for the Ministry of Higher Education, RM306 million for the Ministry of Environment and Water, RM240.45 million for the Ministry of National Unity and RM189.16 million for the Ministry of Rural Development.
The rest of the allocation is for the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (RM102.60 million), Ministry of Housing and Local Government (RM70.37 million), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (RM12.41 million) and Ministry of International Trade and Industry (RM10 million).
Some of the matters raised during the committee level debate include poverty situations in Sabah and Sarawak, housing projects for fishermen, upgrading works for tourism infrastructure, strategies and plans to strengthen the unity among Malaysians, renewable energy projects and the impact of Covid-19 on the halal industry.
Earlier in the afternoon, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun called for a bloc vote after failing to reach a decision on the voice vote during the second reading. Five MPs were absent during the voting process, he said after announcing the polling results.
According to him, 111 MPs voted in favour of the bill and 106 MPs voted against it.
During the second reading debate, MPs from both sides of the political spectrum brought up several points including utility allowances for civil servants working from home, minimum wage and annual salary increments, and the government’s pension scheme.
Former deputy finance minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan (BN-Pontian), who raised the pension scheme issue, wanted the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to continue the scheme for civil servants instead of replacing it with the contract scheme as planned by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government previously.
Ahmad also highlighted the plight of some contract officers who are facing difficulties in securing mortgage and hire purchase loans.
Meanwhile, Dr Lee Boon Chye (PH-Gopeng), wanted to know whether the MoF would impose a windfall profit tax on rubber glove makers in view of the growing demand for the products globally, which has resulted in local industry players raking in bumper profits.
In his reply, Deputy Minister of Finance Mohd Shahar Abdullah said the MoF is exploring all options to grow the country’s revenue and reduce leakages, which will be announced during the tabling of Budget 2021 scheduled for Nov 6.
Earlier, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Independent-Langkawi), when debating the bill, said with the current economic situation in the country, the government should not further increase the country’s expenditure, which would result in a higher fiscal deficit.
The former premier argued that the government's action in increasing the number of cabinet members and forming new ministries was done without taking into account its financial capability.
The Dewan Rakyat proceedings resume tomorrow.
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