Dr M: Budget 2020 does not neglect Kelantan, Terengganu
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad hurled brickbats on Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob for claiming that Budget 2020 had sidelined Terengganu and Kelantan.
He, in turn, turned the tables on the Barisan Nasional leader, claiming the previous government had incurred enormous debt for the nation.
“We have allocated funds for the states. In fact, we also allocate petroleum royalties for Terengganu and Kelantan, unlike the previous government.
“The previous government left us with an enormous debt and now they blame us for it,” said Mahathir, after launching the Malaysian Medical Equipment Expo (MEDEX) 2019 today.
Yesterday, Ismail told reporters at the Parliament that while Sabah, Sarawak, Kedah and Perlis received a large allocation for development under Budget 2020, the same cannot be said for Terengganu and Kelantan.
He claimed that the Pakatan Harapan government was punishing the two states for voting PAS in the previous general election.
Ismail also called Budget 2020 as a ‘capitalist budget’ which neglects the poor and rural communities.
Touching on the debt issue, Mahathir cited an example where the previous regime had purchased vessels from China at a high price, leaving the current administration to deal with the debt burden.
“The purchase was foolish, if you ask me. Now, we are the ones stuck with the burden to pay up,” said Mahathir.
By Hema Subramaniam