Proposal that Anwar present a second 1998 Budget in Parliament on Wednesday during the government winding-up of debate on next year's budget

(Penang, Thursday): The 1998 Budget presented by the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, had failed to address the fundamental issue of restoring confidence in the Malaysian economy or to check twin currency and stock market crisis, as both the Malaysian stock market and ringgit have embarked on a sharp decline from budget day on Oct. 17.

Malaysians are shocked that at a time when the Ministers are calling on the people to tighten their belts, the government still has money to offer US$1 billion loan aid to Indonesia. This has deepened the people's unhappiness with the 1998 budget.

Malaysians can understand when in August, the government offered US$1 billion loan aid to Thailand as a gesture of "good ASEAN neighbourliness". However, many things have changed in the last two months, and the Malaysian economy is itself in crisis. It is Malaysia which should be claiming billions of ringgit in compensation from Indonesia for the disaster to the economy, environment and the people's health because of the national haze disaster, rather than Malaysia giving US$1 billion aid to Indonesia. Furthermore, when Malaysia committed US$1 billion to help Thailand in August, it was equivalent to RM2.6-2.7 billion. Now, the US$1 billion aid to Indonesia would amount to some RM3.4 billion!

I call on Anwar to present a second 1998 budget on Wednesday during the winding-up of the Parliamentary debate on the budget, taking into full consideration the views which had been expressed by various strata of society, and which should include the following six measures:

• Cancellation of hefty increase for fees for an international travel document from RM145 and RM265 to RM300 and RM600 and the fees for restricted travel documents from RM60 to RM150.
• Cancellation of the hefty increase for motor vehicle driving licence from RM20 to RM50 a year.
• Restoration of income tax rebate for parents who have to support their children's studies overseas.
• Renegotiation of the North-South Expressway contract to remove the right of PLUS to increase toll rate every year for the next 21 years until 2018.
• Policy announcement that Malaysia would be lodging an official claim of compensation from Indonesia for the billions of ringgit of losses caused to the economy, environment and health of the people as a result of the national haze disaster caused by the raging thousands of forest and plantation fires in Indonesia.
• Announcement of the cancellation and not just the postponement of mega-projects like the Northern Regional International Airport on a reclaimed island in Kedah, the Kuala Lumpur Linear City Project, the Cameron Highlands - Fraser's Hill - Genting Highlands Road Project and the Straits of Malacca, Malaysia - Indonesia Bridge.

(30/10/97)