SHAH ALAM, 20 Oct: The Alternative Budget 2014 presented by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will focus on efforts to defend the rights and interests of the people in facing the upcoming economic crisis wave.
Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the Alternative Budget will be presented on Monday (21 October) in Parliament before the 2014 Budget is being presented by the Prime Minister on 25 October.
“We expect that this country will experience an economic crisis with the rising debt rate, reduced investment, increase in prices of goods and the increased burden on the people,” Anwar said.
Anwar said this at a press conference after attending the Pakatan Rakyat 2014 Budget Preparation Workshop here at the Selangor Chief Minister’s Official residence today.
Also present at the workshop was DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang and the PAS President, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.
“Through the Budget Workshop just now, Pakatan Rakyat Members of Parliament robustly discussed the 2014 budget draft carefully.
“It was then presented to us, as the main leaders of the three parties, to make a final decision,” Anwar said.
Anwar said that PR plans to hold a dialogue session with the Central Government to discuss the issue of the people’s interest.
“We propose that the Prime Minister and BN leaders focus on governance, economic governance and to tackle big issues in the interest of the people, who have been long neglected since the GE-13 in May.
“The need for discussion and a dialogue on economic issues, ethnic and religious conflict, the increase in crime rates and government management issues, including corruption as reported by the Auditor-General,” Anwar said.
Prior to this, PR set up a special committee to conduct studies before a shadow budget was tabled before the Budget 2014 is tabled.
The committee was set up to obtain the best formula to be included in the Pakatan Rakyat shadow budget, thus challenging the Budget 2014 which is expected to be tabled by Najib Razak.
The committee coordinated by the People’s Institute is divided into nine groups which will be led by Pakatan Rakyat Members of Parliament based on specific ministries and their respective areas of expertise.
The nine groups are; national and international research issues, economy and finance, security, education and employment, agriculture, farming and rural development, transport and urban development, resource management and sustainability, community, welfare and gender, as well as policies related to Sabah and Sarawak.