(Nov 16): Opposition Pakatan Harapan federal lawmakers failed to vote down Budget 2016 when it was put to the vote in Parliament tonight.

The budget was passed by a division vote, as requested by the opposition MPs, with 128 ayes and 74 nays. Debate on the budget had been completed at the policy stage.

"This result means the Bill will be put through second reading," Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said, referring to the Bill's debate at the committee stage, where individual allocations for ministries are debated in detail.

It is not known if opposition party PAS joined the Pakatan Harapan representatives in not voting for the budget.

The Islamist party had previously declared that its lawmakers would not vote against the Budget.

While the vote was being counted, the Opposition MPs held up "Mana RM2.6 billion" placards prompting Datuk Seri Noh Omar (BN-Tanjong Karang) to yell "risalah haram" meaning illegal pamplets in Malay.

The likelihood of the opposition voting down the Budget as a symbolic vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had always been slim due to its lack of numbers.

A two-thirds majority or 112 MPS are needed to vote down the budget, but the opposition has only 88 members in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat, or lower house of Parliament.

The newly set up Pakatan Harapan informal coalition only has 72 MPs. PAS, which is not part of the pact, has 14 MPs.

The opposition had hoped to defeat the budget tabled by Najib in October to secure his resignation over alleged scandals involving his brainchild, state-owned investment vehicle 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), as well as the RM2.6 billion "donation" from an unknown Middle Eastern donor into his personal accounts.

A large portion of the funds were transferred ahead of the general election in 2013 in May, leading to accusations of election fraud.

The Budget will now be further debated at the committee stage, where opposition MPs will once again try to vote it down.

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang had previously predicted that Parliament will not reject the budget. He said the possibility was slim that Barisan Nasional backbenchers would join the opposition in voting it down.

The Gelang Patah MP, who is currently serving a six month suspension for insulting speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, said BN MPs, especially those from ruling Malay party Umno, would not break ranks by voting down the budget as doing so would subject them to disciplinary action. – The Malaysian Insider