Budget 2017 passed, with most PAS MPs absent

Budget 2017 passed, with most PAS MPs absent

The BN government sees through the 2017 Supply Bill with a 32-vote majority.

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KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat passed the Supply Bill 2017 late Tuesday night, with 105 MPs voting in favour and 73 against.

Of the 14 PAS MPs, only Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) voted against the bill.

Nik Mazian Mohamed (PAS-Pasir Putih) was the only other PAS MP present at the time the vote was conducted.

Nik Mazian told reporters at the parliament lobby later that the official party stand was to abstain from the budget vote.

“But look at how late it is, we didn’t know there will be a vote,” he said when asked why the other 12 PAS lawmakers were missing from the hall. This included PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia conducted a bloc division vote on the Supply Bill 2017.

Budget 2017 was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 21, by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Najib Razak.

Lawmakers had debated the RM260.8 billion budget over the past 18 days.

The debate started with the policy stage before winding into committee and ministerial stages and was passed in principle yesterday.

 

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