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Pakatan
Rakyat leaders used their speeches at the tail end of their maiden
fundraising dinner in Shah Alam last night to continue attacking the
federal budget 2013 announced by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak just
hours earlier in the Dewan Rakyat.
Smarting from the PM's direct assault on them in his budget speech, DAP general-secretary Lim Guan Eng openly trounced the premier, criticising that the Pekan MP's speech as a move borne out of desperation.
"Even a 14-year old can see that it is not a budget address but a campaign speech".
In particular Lim (right) took offence that Najib had accused Pakatan Rakyat states of being weak economically, and badly managed.
He reminded Najib that Pakatan ruled Penang and Selangor comprised the bulk of foreign investments in the country, saying that without those states, there will indeed be less investments from overseas.
The fact that investors are coming, he said, is testament that Pakatan states are well managed and proof of BN's slandering ways.
"Now is the season of election and slander... Pakatan leaders will bear the brunt of it...
"But it's okay as my friend Mat Sabu (PAS deputy president) said, you are slandered because you are a good person.
"A good person will be targeted for slander, whereas an evil person won't be."
During his turn at the microphone, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang took a dig at the BN-led government's "Janji Ditepati" or promises delivered slogan, emphasising that to deliver one's promises is not enough with just delivering big projects but also to look into how the promises are delivered.
Promises and collapsing structures
"It is not enough to build stadiums and then they collapse, it is not enough to build bridges and they collapse."
Comparing Malaysia which had never truly been devastated by war with Germany which lost two world wars and Japan which got hammered in the second world war, he pointed out that despite their devastation by war, both countries dragged themselves by the bootstraps to become world economic superpowers.
"There must be something wrong," with Malaysia posited Abdul Hadi, (left) that we with our wealth and relative peace, failed to achieve similar stature in over 50 years of BN rule.
As such he believes that it is time that the rakyat is taught to fairly evaluate the government before them and be given the alternative to choose a different one.
Taking the bull by the horns, Oppositon leader Anwar Ibrahim who spoke last, reiterated his challenge to Najib to debate the national budget with him man to man.
He argued that if the PM is so hell bent on criticising the Opposition, Najib should be brave enough to face him off in a full frontal debate.
A basic principle of leadership, said Anwar is the willingness to deliver and defend one's views and convictions, not hide behind budget speeches and using the media.
Anwar lamented Najib's attacks against Pakatan states' economies during the budget speech and refusing to act on what Pakatan considers key issues like student loan PTPTN, corruption and monopolies.
Appeal for common courtesy
"It is either arrogance of power or ignorance for a PM to ignore facts as they are."
Anwar also advised Najib to attend Parliament on Monday during the Opposition's leaders response to the budget as a matter of courtesy if nothing else.
"When I was finance minister, I never missed the Opposition leader's budget debate. I considered it appropriate that I at least came to listen as he had listened when I tabled the budget.
"It
was not easy to hear, you ears may sting. During my time DAP
parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang was Opposition leader. But I had to
listen, and I did, though I pretended to write and read to lessen the
blow (of his words)."
Anwar (right) said that on Monday the Pakatan Rakyat leadership will list out their concerns and issues with the 2013 budget.
The budget is one of the most recent battlegrounds for political points as the BN-led ruling coalition is set to face off with the opposition Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th general election which must come within six months as the current Parliament's mandate will expire in April next year.
Smarting from the PM's direct assault on them in his budget speech, DAP general-secretary Lim Guan Eng openly trounced the premier, criticising that the Pekan MP's speech as a move borne out of desperation.
"Even a 14-year old can see that it is not a budget address but a campaign speech".
In particular Lim (right) took offence that Najib had accused Pakatan Rakyat states of being weak economically, and badly managed.He reminded Najib that Pakatan ruled Penang and Selangor comprised the bulk of foreign investments in the country, saying that without those states, there will indeed be less investments from overseas.
The fact that investors are coming, he said, is testament that Pakatan states are well managed and proof of BN's slandering ways.
"Now is the season of election and slander... Pakatan leaders will bear the brunt of it...
"But it's okay as my friend Mat Sabu (PAS deputy president) said, you are slandered because you are a good person.
"A good person will be targeted for slander, whereas an evil person won't be."
During his turn at the microphone, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang took a dig at the BN-led government's "Janji Ditepati" or promises delivered slogan, emphasising that to deliver one's promises is not enough with just delivering big projects but also to look into how the promises are delivered.
Promises and collapsing structures
"It is not enough to build stadiums and then they collapse, it is not enough to build bridges and they collapse."
Comparing Malaysia which had never truly been devastated by war with Germany which lost two world wars and Japan which got hammered in the second world war, he pointed out that despite their devastation by war, both countries dragged themselves by the bootstraps to become world economic superpowers.
"There must be something wrong," with Malaysia posited Abdul Hadi, (left) that we with our wealth and relative peace, failed to achieve similar stature in over 50 years of BN rule.As such he believes that it is time that the rakyat is taught to fairly evaluate the government before them and be given the alternative to choose a different one.
Taking the bull by the horns, Oppositon leader Anwar Ibrahim who spoke last, reiterated his challenge to Najib to debate the national budget with him man to man.
He argued that if the PM is so hell bent on criticising the Opposition, Najib should be brave enough to face him off in a full frontal debate.
A basic principle of leadership, said Anwar is the willingness to deliver and defend one's views and convictions, not hide behind budget speeches and using the media.
Anwar lamented Najib's attacks against Pakatan states' economies during the budget speech and refusing to act on what Pakatan considers key issues like student loan PTPTN, corruption and monopolies.
Appeal for common courtesy
"It is either arrogance of power or ignorance for a PM to ignore facts as they are."
Anwar also advised Najib to attend Parliament on Monday during the Opposition's leaders response to the budget as a matter of courtesy if nothing else.
"When I was finance minister, I never missed the Opposition leader's budget debate. I considered it appropriate that I at least came to listen as he had listened when I tabled the budget.
"It
was not easy to hear, you ears may sting. During my time DAP
parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang was Opposition leader. But I had to
listen, and I did, though I pretended to write and read to lessen the
blow (of his words)."Anwar (right) said that on Monday the Pakatan Rakyat leadership will list out their concerns and issues with the 2013 budget.
The budget is one of the most recent battlegrounds for political points as the BN-led ruling coalition is set to face off with the opposition Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th general election which must come within six months as the current Parliament's mandate will expire in April next year.
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