KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 — PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said today that he was not aware of PAS’s decision to abstain from voting on Budget 2016, insisting that the Islamist party remains supportive of his party’s plan to move a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
He said there has not been any official notification by PAS officials of their purported decision to abstain from voting on the budget.
“Based on our discussion with PAS, and it was conveyed by the deputy president of PAS and the chief whip of PAS, that they will support the move by Keadilan for a vote of no confidence against the prime minister and all options available before us,” he said when met in the Parliament lobby.
“The decision presented officially to Keadilan, through the (PAS) deputy president and the chief whip to Dr Wan Azizah is clear, so we hold to the original agreement,” Azmin added.
On October 20, Azmin claimed that PAS had informed PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail that they have agreed to support her motion for a vote of no confidence against Najib.
The Selangor mentri besar described PAS’s response as “forthcoming”, and added that they have also been approached by a few government backbenchers.
PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, however, reportedly said yesterday that the party’s MPs will abstain from voting on Budget 2016, a position that was echoed by their Pasir Mas MP Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz earlier today.
Nik Abduh admitted that while Budget 2016 was structured to take care of the ruling party’s interests, he insisted that next year’s budget will also cover the needs of Malaysians in general.
