{
  "id": 15096469,
  "title": "Tersebutlah kisah bajet pilihan raya",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/tersebutlah-kisah-bajet-pilihan-raya",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-17T02:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2026/10/17/tersebutlah-kisah-bajet-pilihan-raya"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Malaysia's ruling party prepares a budget for the upcoming year, and a question commonly arises, especially from opposition politicians, analysts, academics, the media, and the general public. The question is whether the proposed budget is an election budget. This is because the budget contains many \"goods\" or benefits for the people. The question is not always asked; usually, the asker has already made up their mind before asking, which gives the statement the appearance of a question. Although the question may be valid, it may not be. All governments have faced this issue at some point. When Anwar Ibrahim announced the budget for 2027, it was considered a good budget because it provided benefits to various segments of the population, giving rise to the question of election budget. Before Anwar announced the budget, some people had already claimed it would be an election budget, even though the government's term would end in February 2028. During the budget debate in Parliament, the election budget issue emerged. Opposition Leader Hamzah Zainudin claimed that the current budget was full of sweeteners, likening it to syrup. He believed that the people would be fooled by the sweeteners, hoping to give a negative impression to the opposition, especially when a right-wing PAS leader welcomed the budget. Hamzah argued that aid or sweeteners were not decisive factors in voting. Although these words could be seen as harsh and offensive to the government, they may also be used to calm the opposition, especially if they are worried. They also aim to raise support to oppose the government. My opinion is simple: whether there is an election budget or not, the people's promises can be fulfilled. I agree with my long-time friend Kassim Muhamad's view that the idea of an economic economy does not necessarily sound disgusting. A compassionate budget is also an economic idea because it involves ordinary people. For some people, an economic idea may sound disgusting and large, but for ordinary people like me, help for the common people, such as providing affordable meals, is very meaningful. Kassim gave an example: a RM750 assistance for fishermen. This is not a disgusting idea; it could be labeled as syrup. Similarly, the hope that our city markets will be given attention is not disgusting but clearly reflects human qualities. For him, this is not an election budget; it is a budget with a human touch. This is an important element, regardless of how the budget is called. This article is a personal opinion and does not necessarily represent FMT.",
  "summary": "Adakah belanjawan yang dibentang satu belanjawan pilihan raya? Lazimnya yang diluah bukan pertanyaan.",
  "key_points": [
    "Malaysia's ruling party prepares 2027 budget, questioned as election budget",
    "Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin criticizes budget as full of sweeteners",
    "Kassim Muhamad defends budget as compassionate and economically viable"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Tersebutlah kisah bajet pilihan raya",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/tersebutlah-kisah-bajet-pilihan-raya-15097407",
        "published": "2026-10-17T02:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}