I have read all the comments and feedback on my Facebook Supporters page regarding how 21 Pakatan Rakyat MPs, including myself , were absent during the Budget 2010 bill. I know that our absence resulted in a narrow defeat of 66 votes vs 63 votes in favour of the Federal Government’s budget. I understand that you may feel disappointed and even angry that this could have happened.
I too feel regret that it happened. I feel you deserve an explanation of how it came to be.
On that day, the Menteri Besar, my fellow EXCOs and myself, hosted a dinner in honour of the Sultan of Selangor at his palace in Putrajaya. The date of this celebration had been fixed long ago, long before the date for the budget bill at Parliament was decided.
On that day, I was aware that there will be voting on that evening on the budget bill. I had already informed my party leaders that I wouldn’t be able to make it due to my commitment as Selangor State Senior EXCO.
During the dinner, I kept myself informed by SMS on the progress of debate at parliament and quietly informed Menteri Besar of the progress.
At 10.45pm, Nga Kor Ming rang me up to ask me to come to Parliament. Tony Pua also asked me to come. I wanted to go, but at the same time, I found it difficult to just get up and go as we were in the presence of HRH.
Furthermore, as a Selangor State Senior EXCO, I was one of the main hosts of this dinner in honour of our Sultan. It would have been ungracious for me to just get up and leave there and then.
At the same time, I also thought that if I had rushed there, there was also the possibility that the vote only result in a stalemate. So our presence may not have helped and we may have been ungracious hosts of HRH’s birthday dinner.
I expressed my concern on this matter to Menteri Besar and HRH Sultan overhead me. And HRH graciously excused me and said that I should go.
Just as I was leaving the palace, I received a message from Tony Pua that the bill had been passed with 66 vs 63. So there was no point in me going to parliament anymore. I jokingly told sultan, “Tuanku, you have saved the fedaral budget.”
I do regret that I didn’t take part in this voting exercise. If I and other Pakatan Rakyat MPs had been present, there was a chance that we could have overturned the result. I will take this incident and your feedback to heart and use it as a lesson to guide my future decisions as your elected representative.
