PUTRAJAYA, Jan 20 ― The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition pact should not undermine Datuk Seri Najib Razak's revisions to Budget 2015 necessitated by external global factors beyond Putrajaya's control, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

Speaking to reporters after the announcement here this morning, the home minister said all Malaysians must pull together in order for the country’s economy to withstand the headwinds that it is now facing.

“I hope everyone plays ball, especially the opposition. We have to be together in dealing with this situation,” Zahid said.

“The problem is not just affecting Malaysia it also affects other countries.”

Najib unveiled today a host of spending cuts to Budget 2015 aimed at helping Malaysia weather oil prices that have fallen by more than half since last year.

Facing a drop in government revenue of RM8.3 billion, Putrajaya is targeting to reduce operational expenditure by RM5.5 billion in order to reduce the government’s chronic overspending.

Beyond making these cuts, Najib also said efforts will be made to boost tax collection by encouraging more companies to register under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), saying that this could help the government rake in RM1 billion more in tax.