GE15: National poll forces Selangor to delay tabling of state budget

SHAH ALAM - The 15th General Election (GE15) has forced Selangor to delay the tabling of its state budget to mid-November to avoid inteference from electoral campaigns.

In announcing the matter, Selangor MB Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said that he will ask the speaker of Selangor State Legislative Assembly, Ng Suee Lim, to officially write a letter to the Sultan of Selangor informing the latter of said postponement.

“For the Selangor Budget we will need to ask for permission to postpone it to November 25 because we don't want to interfere with the campaign process.

“For that matter, I usually ask the speaker to inform the King through a written appeal,” he said during the press conference after the closing ceremony of National Sports Council's 'Serve Rescue' training course at the Section 15 fire station here, today.

The budget was initially scheduled to be table on October 28.

Besides campaigining, Amirudin also pointed out that the state government would also be short-staffed in the coming GE15 as most will be involved in electoral administation duties hence the pressing need for the budget's postponement.

“I don't think there are any objections [over said delay] because this would benefit everyone; not just for politicians but also to our officers to focus on their work,” he said.

Asked on whether there will be new faces for Pakatan Harapan (PH), he said the coalition has opted for a mix of both old and new faces as part of their strategy to win GE15.

“Our strategy is to win so we will have new and old candidates for the election, (so) just wait for the announcement before the candidate nomination.

“As for whether I will be contesting or not, the discussion is still going on at the highest level,” he added.