KUALA LUMPUR: Bayan Baru Member of Parliament Sim Tze Tzin has questioned the opposition's failure to present a shadow budget.
He said that the unity government had introduced three budgets since taking office.
"I have yet to see a shadow budget from the Perikatan Nasional side. Why hasn't PN presented one? Is the opposition leader effectively fulfilling his role?" he said during the debate on the Supply Bill 2025 in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Sim said that when Pakatan Harapan was in opposition, it played a crucial role in providing checks and balances to the government.
"From 2010 to 2017, the opposition consistently presented shadow budgets to compete with the government's proposals."
He highlighted the importance of having a capable opposition to contribute innovative ideas and maintain checks and balances within the democratic framework.
"Senior opposition members should engage in meaningful debates on substantive issues, rather than resorting to derogatory language like 'tipu' and 'sembang' or trivial matters such as whether Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim receives a salary.
"These are petty issues best left to cyber troopers," he said, adding that senior MPs should not stoop to that level.
Sim also said that he had positive interactions with several opposition representatives, including Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (Masjid Tanah), Datuk Dr Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (Kubang Pasu), Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (Sik), Datuk Ali Biju (Saratok), and Dr Halimah Ali (Kapar), who consistently offered valuable insights.