Caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that a mini budget will need to be tabled before 31 December 2022 in order to approve certain emoluments for the following year, especially payment of salaries for civil servants. This is if the new government for Malaysia cannot be formed in time, due to the lack of a simple majority from the recent general election (GE15).

The minister explained that the tabling of the mini budget does not require further debates of approval; as such, it will not be a complicated process. “There is no cause for civil servants to worry about payment of their salaries. It is just a straightforward process…it will be tabled and passed,” he further reassured.

The national budget for 2023 (Budget 2023) had actually already been tabled by caretaker Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz much earlier on 7 October 2022, involving an allocation of RM372.3 billion. However, Dewan Rakyat were unable to debate or approve the budget as the Parliament was subsequently dissolved just three days after that.

Malaysia then went to polls on 19 November 2022, but the election outcomes resulted in a hung parliament as no single political party won enough support form a new government through simple majority.

(Source: New Straits Times)

• TAGS:
• Budget 2023
• Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob
• Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz
• GE15
• General Election
• Mini Budget