KUALA LUMPUR: All eyes are on the tabling of the 2024 Budget when the Third Meeting of the Second Session of the Dewan Rakyat sitting convenes for 40 days starting today until Nov 30.
According to the Parliament's official portal at www.parlimen.gov.my, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the finance minister, is scheduled to table the 2024 Supply Bill at 4pm this Friday.
The 2024 Budget will be the second national budget by the unity government after the revised 2023 Budget with a total expenditure of RM388.1 billion that was tabled in February.
Similar to previous national budgets, observers predicted that the 2024 Budget would also be expansionary financial planning to help the federal administration achieve its target of eradicating extreme poverty by the end of the year.
Economists also believed that the 2024 Budget would be the continuity of the mid-term review of the 12th Malaysia Plan, apart from spelling out more concrete programmes and initiatives to be implemented by the government next year in order to achieve the targets set under the Madani Economy: Empowering the People framework and the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030.
Anwar previously confirmed that the education and healthcare sector will continue to be given priority and receive the highest allocation under the 2024 Budget, which he dubbed the Madani Budget 2.
"The Madani Budget 2 will reflect the commitment of the federal government to not only strengthen the national healthcare system, but also improve the quality of education in our country," Anwar, who is also the Tambun member of parliament, was quoted as saying when he launched the national-level Madani Medical Scheme and Madani Afiat Programme at Bulatan Sultan Azlan Shah in Meru, Perak, early this month.
An issue that is expected to be hotly debated among lawmakers during the upcoming Dewan Rakyat sitting is the statement by Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu involving the supply of local white rice in the country.
The shortage of local white rice last month has been a thorny issue for the unity government as consumers, as well as business operators whose businesses are dependent on the commodity, felt the pinch from the increase in the price of the staple.
The crisis compelled the government through the ministry to roll out a number of drastic intervention measures to reduce the people's woes due to the price hike of imported rice and the rise in demand for local rice.
Also expected to attract attention during the Dewan Rakyat sitting is the haze situation in the country.
According to the order papers of the Parliament sitting, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad is scheduled to provide his statement regarding the issue.
Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin — who is also former energy, science, technology and climate change minister — previously cautioned that the government could incur losses of up to RM1 billion due to the impact of the haze on tourism and businesses, costs associated with firefighting and cloud-seeding operations, flight cancellations, medical expenses and damage to biodiversity if no measures were put in place to prevent the haze from worsening and recurring.
Other highlights included the tabling and the debate by the Public Accounts Committee on the progress of the Second-Generation Patrol Ship Construction Project — Littoral Combat Ship.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul told the New Sunday Times that the report would be tabled by Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan today.
Bernama reported that among the bills to be tabled for the second reading was the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023, scheduled for tomorrow.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa previously said that the bill was a form of continued commitment by the ministry to ensure the health and safety of the people were protected from the dangers of nicotine products.
The Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (Amendment) Bill 2023 is also expected to be tabled during the session.
Deputy Finance Minister I Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said the tabling was in line with the decision of the Cabinet meeting on June 5, to respect and give more power to Sabah and Sarawak in the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council.