PM Muhyiddin to consider inviting Opposition for Economic Action Council, Covid-19 meetings

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today said that the Perikatan Nasional government may expand its bipartisan cooperation with the Opposition beyond the Budget 2021 by inviting them to sit in on certain government meetings.

In a special interview by a joint media broadcast of Astro Awani and TV3 today, Muhyiddin said he plans to invite the Opposition to the Economic Action Council and Covid-19 management meeting to get their views on how the government can assist people.

“For the next level, I’m thinking about inviting the opposition to be on the Economic Action Council which I chair every week or the meeting to manage Covid-19, which I chair every day.

“This is not about giving credit to them, but for the people to benefit from their views.

“For me, such a new approach is suitable in the future,” he said.

However, when asked whether this would extend to political cooperation, Muhyiddin — who came into power following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in February said it was too early to say.

“I do not want to predict but this must be one step at a time, but the most important thing is the problem that the people are currently facing.

“It is not about politics but for Covid-19 revival and economic recovery,” he said.

Muhyiddin said he did not ‘mind’ when asked to comment about Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks on Budget 2021 in which the PKR president said the government failed to provide specific plans on ways to stimulate the economy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Muhyiddin said the Budget 2021 can surely revive back the Malaysian economy as finance minister Datuk Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz’s team received input from “thousands” of groups including the Opposition themselves in a meeting on November 1.

“The budget projection is not just a projection of numbers. This is based on expert assessments not only in the country but also from abroad.

“In this situation, where our projected economic growth is from minus 4 per cent to change to 6.5 to 7.5 percent is a big jump because not all countries can reach that level,” he said, commenting on the economic growth projection from the government through Budget 2021.

Yesterday, Tengku Zafrul tabled the budget 2021 with the theme “Teguh Kita, Menang Bersama” (Stand United, We Shall Prevail), in the Parliament.

Budget 2021 is the largest budget in Malaysia’s history, with a total of RM322.5 billion compared to RM297 billion for Budget 2020.

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