KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 3): Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MITI) Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali got into a shouting match with former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and other Opposition MPs today over the Government's spending for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) 2020 summit.
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) Government initially approved RM635 million in 2018 for the conference, which was reduced to RM300 million in July last year, said Azmin.
However, the summit, which Malaysia hosted last month, was eventually held virtually — the first time it was done so — due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This resulted in the Government spending only RM66.6 million for the event, instead of the budgeted RM300 million, Azmin said. The remainder RM233.4 million was subsequently returned to the Finance Ministry. “This was used in various Covid-19 stimulus packages,” Azmin said during his winding-up speech during the committee stage debate on the Budget 2021.
Lim, however, said RM66.6 million was still pricey for a virtual summit. “When it is done online, why is it so expensive? Are you ready to be probed by the PAC (Public Accounts Committee) and be accountable for the budget? This is hard to believe,” the Bagan MP asked.
This soon escalated into a shouting match, with other Opposition MPs joining in, as Azmin accused Lim of “playing politics” and saying the latter was not giving him room to explain the matter. The Minister then cut short his speech and said he would reply in writing to any other queries.
Shortly after, a bloc vote was called and the 2021 Budget for MITI was approved with 110 ayes vs 104 nays, while six MPs were absent.