Unlike Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan Nasional has no policy other than to stay in power, said Lim Guan Eng.
The DAP secretary general said the government’s policies now were a continuation of what PH had put in place.
“Does PH have any manifesto or policy guide? Its only manifesto is on how to be in power.
“Many of PN’s policies today are from PH. Many of its ministers were also from PH,” said the Bagan MP debating the royal address today, his first speech in Parliament since PH was ousted from Putrajaya in February.
PN MPs jeered at Lim’s speech, with Abdul Azeez Rahiim (Baling-BN) and Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (Pasir Salak-BN) leading the charge.
Lim allowed them to interject and replied to their accusations over his time as finance minister.
New Deputy Speaker Azalina Othman Said, however, did little to stop the insults and barbs thrown at Lim, although she “promised” to look into Tajuddin’s “bodoh” remark.
However, Tajuddin, who has been reprimanded several times in the past for similar outbursts, continued baiting and hurling allegations at Lim.
One of the main allegations Barisan Nasional used to incite Malay voters against PH since 2018 is that Lim as finance minister oversaw the sale of national assets.
“I did not approve any sale of assets under the Ministry of Finance. It may have happened under other ministries but not me,” said Lim.
Tajuddin then raised Khazanah Nasional Bhd’s sale of part of its stake in healthcare provider IHH Healthcare Bhd to Japan’s Mitsui & Co.
Lim said: “The sale of IHH to Mitsui was not approved by MoF. Why don’t you ask Gombak?”
Gombak is in reference to Senior Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali who defected to Bersatu in February to cause the collapse of the Pakatan government.
It was reported in November 2018 that Khazanah had sold 16% of IHH to Mitsui for RM8.42 billion. Khazanah then was under the purview of Azmin as economic affairs minister. The sovereign wealth fund still has a 26% stake in IHH.
Lim then asked the government to explain what it was planning to do to help businesses who complained that they could not access government loans to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The government must look into these issues and also the wastage that is happening.”
One example, said Lim was how the government was distributing RM100 hampers to B40 groups during the movement control order.
“But there is clearly wastage as the value of the hampers were only RM35,” said Lim.
It was reported in April that Rasah MP Cha Kee Chin had accused the Welfare Department of distributing in his constituency food baskets worth RM35 although promising RM100 in aid.
The department responded by saying it also distributed aid from welfare groups in addition to government food baskets, and it had no control over the value of this aid.
Lim also asked the government to extend the loan moratorium from six months to 12 months. – TMI