Five probabilities of 2023 Budget, constitutional expert predicts

SHAH ALAM – With 2023 Budget scheduled to be tabled this Friday while the country’s political scene expecting the 15th General Election (GE15) anytime soon, an expert shares his view on what may unfold this coming week..

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia constitutional expert Profesor Madya Dr Muhammad Fathi Yusof said the first situation could be the dissolution of Parliament would take after 2023 Budget is tabled and approved.

Fathi described the matter as an appropriate action because 2023 Budget would be the government's commitment.

"Whoever decides on the budget, they are responsible for implementing it," he told Sinar Harian recently.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar confirmed 2023 Budget would be tabled in Dewan Rakyat on Oct 7.

The second situation Fathi predicted was that 2023 Budget would be tabled and the Parliament would be dissolved the following week without it being approved.

"I think this step is irresponsible if it happens because the budget is an important matter.

"The election process is a long one. If the budget is delayed after the elections we face the risk of the future.

"It is feared that if the tabling of the budget failed to be implemented before entering the new year, it would be tabled but not approved," he said.

The third situation could happen if the budget were tabled and the 15th General Election (GE15) would be delayed.

He said the government needed to delay GE15 at least for four or five months for the budget to be implemented.

"In the context of responsibility, the budget represented the government's commitment that is necessary to be fulfilled," he said.

He said the fourth situation would have the budget tabled until the voting stage.

Fathi said if it reached the voting stage, there was a possibility that the government would obtain a slight majority in approving the budget.

He said negotiations were needed if the government wanted to ensure 2023 Budget could gain a supporting majority.

The fifth situation, he said, was the government would not need to table it fully but instead they could only table the Necessary Expenses Bill under Article 102(a) of the Federal Constitution for the expenditure of the first quarter from January to April 2023.

"The new government could table the balance from May to December 2023. The approval of temporary expenses could be said to be done by vote on account," he said.