(Oct 23): Budget 2016's silence on troubled 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) shows attempts of a "cover-up", opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said today.

"It show he's trying to cover-up. Not even a word on 1MDB. He wasn't addressing our concerns," the PKR president said in reference to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who tabled the financial plan in Dewan Rakyat this afternoon.

DAP said the same, with its national publicity chief Tony Pua saying the budget had a lot of "bravado" but failed to deal with core issues of confidence and public distrust stemming from 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion transferred to Najib's personal bank accounts as a political donation.

Opposition MPs also held up placards with the words "Mana RM2.6 billion?" (Where is the RM2.6 billion?) as Najib finished his speech.

However, second finance minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah refuted claims that the budget should have addressed concerns over the state-owned investment firm which has chalked up RM42 million since its inception in 2009.

"This is the budget, nothing to do with 1MDB. What has 1MDB got to do with the budget?" Husni said when asked by reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

He also said revenue from the goods and services tax (GST) would not be enough to mitigate low oil prices, and that was why Putrajaya had to rely on corporate and individual taxes.

Husni added that Budget 2016 had focused more on Sabah and Sarawak as studies have found the two Bornean states lagging behind the peninsular in development.

"It's high time that we also focus on Sabah and Sarawak, we want to ensure the people of these two states will also achieve a high income position."

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar expressed confidence that Putrajaya was on track to achieve a balanced budget by 2020.

"Under the current consensus, if the government continues to make the commitment towards fiscal consolidation, and the fact we are able to achieve 3.2% fiscal deficit this year and narrowing down to 3.1% next year means that we are still maintaining long-term target of achieving balanced target come 2020," he said. – The Malaysian Insider