SUNGAI PETANI: Pas members of parliament (MPs) have proven themselves to be more civilised and professional than other opposition MPs, as they remained seated during the tabling of 2017 Budget by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday.
Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said that Pakatan Harapan MPs were lacking in the traits demonstrated by Pas MPs, which they should emulate and learn from.
He said although Pas may not have been in total agreement with what the Prime Minister tabled, they did not stage a walkout or stand up and protest during the sitting.
“Pakatan Harapan claim that they are civilised and professional, yet they stood up with placards and walked out when Najib had yet to finish tabling the budget.
“They call themselves intellectuals, professionals and moderates, so they should not have behaved that way,” Mahdzir, who is also the Education Minister, told pressmen this evening after opening the inaugural World Conference of Tamil teachers in conjunction with the 200-Year Celebration of Tamil Education in Malaysia.
Also present was Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan.
Mahdzir was commenting on the walkout staged by several opposition MPs from the PKR, the DAP and PPBM during Najib’s Budget 2017 speech yesterday.
Mahdzir, who is also the Padang Terap MP, said the opposition could debate the budget if they do not agree with it.
“Even Pas MP Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz said that there will be time for MPs to debate the budget if they are not happy with it,” he added.