Ku Li not participating in debate, other MPs also influenced?

KUALA LUMPUR: The action of UMNO veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who chose not to participate in the Budget 2021 debate in the Dewan Rakyat is seen to influence a handful of other MPs to not participate.

University of Malaya (UM) political analyst, Prof Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said it also brought about the possible failure of the 2021 Budget to be passed.

“He as an iconic leader in UMNO acting like that, I think it will have an impact on other MPs.

"They will may act like him by not being present until when the Budget is needed.

"If this matter 'spreads' and becomes an epidemic, it will cause the 2021 Budget to fail to be passed," he told Astro AWANI on Monday.

Dr Awang Azman also opined that it was a big threat to the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, thus posing a threat to the position of the government led by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

"It could cause the PN government to collapse and the prime minister to resign.

"That is in terms of the implications of Ku Li's actions, attitude and stance on this matter," he said.

On Monday, Tengku Razaleigh explained his stance in a letter to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harin that he would not participate in the Budget 2021 debate in the House because the legitimacy of the government led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin could not be determined.

In the letter dated 19 Nov 2020, he also explained, participating in the Budget debate without ascertaining whether the Prime Minister and the Cabinet are legitimate or not in office, will affect one of the important principles of the constitution.