KUALA LUMPUR (March 28): The Dewan Rakyat passed the RM388.1 billion revised Budget 2023 on Tuesday (March 28) with a majority voice vote, after 18 days of debate.

The passing of the Supply Bill 2023 at the committee stage was announced by Deputy Speaker Alice Lau Kiong Yieng.

The revised budget, tabled by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Feb 24, comprises an operating expenditure of RM289.1 billion and development expenditure of RM99 billion, including RM2 billion in contingency savings.

It was a revision of the RM372.3 billion budget previously tabled by former finance minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.

The revised budget was passed upon conclusion of the debate on the Higher Education Ministry’s and the Education Ministry’s allocations.

The Education Ministry receives the highest allocation of RM55.2 billion in the revised Budget 2023, up from the RM52.6 billion previously proposed by the Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob administration.

The Higher Education Ministry, meanwhile, gets a RM15.3 billion allocation in the revised budget, compared with RM14.5 billion previously.

The committee stage debate for the Education Ministry saw 27 members of Parliament (MPs) participating, while 16 MPs took part in the debate for the Higher Education Ministry’s allocation.

Subsequent to the passing of Budget 2023, the Dewan Rakyat had adjourned for the day. It is slated to resume on Wednesday (March 29) to deliberate on other legislations like the Sexual Offences against Children (Amendment) Bill 2023, Evidence of Child Witness (Amendment) Bill 2023, and the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Bill 2023.

The current Dewan Rakyat sitting will continue until April 4, before taking a break until the house resumes again on May 22.

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