(Oct 23): The budget tabled by the prime minister today is a "tutup scandal" budget, said DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who expressed disappointment that it did not abolish the goods and services tax (GST).

"This is a tutup scandal budget," he said, without elaborating further.

"More importantly, it does not solve the problem of GST, it has to be abolished," he said at the Parliament lobby after Datuk Seri Najib Razak tabled the RM267.2 billion budget.

The Bagan federal lawmaker said the inability to do away with the broad-based consumption tax, which Putrajaya rolled out in April this year, would not have any positive impact on the ringgit, which had gone on a freefall this year.

“As long as there are no steps as to how we can still strengthen the ringgit, it will still be low.

“This will not have any long-term effect for the people. We want GST to be abolished,” added the Penang chief minister. – The Malaysian Insider