The opposition failed in its attempt to thwart Budget 2021 as it was passed in the final approval stage in the Dewan Rakyat today via an en bloc vote.

The vote ended with 111 Members of Parliament (MPs) in favour and 108 MPs against the passing of the budget.

Budget 2021 passed in Dewan Rakyat despite opposition's last-ditch efforts to stymie bill

Budget 2021 was formulated with a balancing act in mind, a treasury official said today, adding that it is important for the government to spend on development expenditure to stimulate new growth in the country.

Budget 2021 formulated with balancing act in mind — MoF

The crucial vote on Budget 2021 is scheduled for today in the Dewan Rakyat amid uncertainty as to whether it will garner sufficient support from lawmakers.

Several MPs have threatened to withhold support for the Budget unless their concerns are addressed. Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Pejuang-Langkawi), for one, has said that he and “his friends” have decided to reject the Budget

Parliament to decide on the National Budget today

As for now, the schedule for the crucial Budget 2021 vote set for tomorrow is on track, according to a source familiar with the matter.

“Ministers have also been reminded to stick to their 20-minute allocation and not exceed it — as what happened on Monday and Tuesday. Questions that can’t be answered due to time constraints will be answered in writing,” a government source familiar with the scheduled budget vote told The Edge, adding that at present, the budget voting is still “confirmed” for tomorrow as scheduled.

Schedule for budget voting on track — source

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah will not be participating in the Budget 2021 debate as long as the legitimacy of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his Cabinet is not tested.

Ku Li to abstain from Budget 2021 debate as long as no-confidence motion not allowed

Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal today criticised the government’s controversial decision to allocate RM85.5 million to the Department of Special Affairs (Jasa) during the Covid-19 pandemic, calling it unnecessary.

Following a growing number of lawmakers who have voiced their dissatisfaction at this move, Shafie echoed their calls to use the RM85.5 million in combating Covid-19.

Shafie joins growing list of politicians questioning RM86m allocation for Jasa

While the Budget 2021 has been touted to be the largest budget in Malaysia, four associations have jointly urged the government to revise the national budget to provide “sustainable and meaningful” assistance.

The four associations are Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA), SME Association of Malaysia, Bumiputra Retailers Organization and Malaysia Shopping Malls Association (PPK).

SME, retail and mall associations urge govt for more aid in Budget 2021

The V-shaped recovery that has been attained at this point will be derailed if Budget 2021 is not passed by Parliament, according to EMIR Research.

V-shaped recovery will be derailed if Budget 2021 not passed — EMIR Research

Construction companies are set to benefit greatly from the projects and expenditure outlined in Budget 2021, with the Mass Rapid Transit 3 and the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail viewed as being big opportunities.

Builders the key beneficiaries of Budget 2021, but little interest seen

The recently tabled Budget 2021 was "supersized but spread too thin", said Affin Hwang Capital Research, noting that the measures announced were not sufficient to assist the sectors that are badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Budget 2021 has something for everyone but ‘spread too thin’, says Affin Hwang

Pejuang says the government had used Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah’s decree as a “blank cheque” to propose a Budget which is populist and does not take into account the interests of the people.

Pejuang: Budget 2021 populist, does not take into account public interest

Human capital management solution provider RAMSSOL Group said employee engagement is key in digital transformation.

Employee engagement key in digital transformation, says RAMSSOL

BIMB Holdings Bhd's Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd has welcomed the enhancement made to the targeted repayment assistance in Budget 2021, saying that the measure addresses the difficulties of most vulnerable groups and provides an opportunity for them to recover from the economic shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bank Islam welcomes enhancement to targeted repayment assistance

Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz has refuted allegations that the government has drastically reduced its public health allocation in Budget 2021.

Tengku Zafrul refutes allegations of reduction in public health allocation in Budget 2021

Asian stocks were set to rebound Friday as concerns over stretched artificial-intelligence valuations eased, putting the region on course for its first gain this week after a four-day slide.

Asian stocks set for gains as tech selloff eases

Indonesia faces a potential ejection from global stock indexes after MSCI Inc. said the country no longer merits emerging-market status, escalating the threat of foreign investor flight as concerns deepen over market integrity.

MSCI weighs downgrade of Indonesia to remove from global indexes

Wall Street staged a comeback after losses driven by concerns about the sustainability of the artificial-intelligence trade that has powered the bull market in stocks.

Stock buyers step in to power Wall Street rebound

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 15): The Retirement Fund Incorporated's (KWAP) RM750 million allocation under Budget 2027 represents a planned commercial investment for Projek Vista Kampus across six selected universities, with the investment intended to generate sustainable long-term returns for the retiremen...

KWAP's RM750 mil campus project a planned commercial investment for long-term returns

Here is a brief recap of some business news and corporate announcements that made the headlines on Thursday.

Zetrix AI, Bus Cap, Sunway, AWC, CTOS Digital, Kimlun Corp, CelcomDigi, Vestland, HeiTech Padu, Duopharma Biotech, Mycron Steel, HCK Capital, JAKS Resources, Citaglobal, PJBumi

Norway-registered SEA1 Offshore Rederi AS has ceased to be a substantial shareholder in loss-making Propel Global Bhd (KL:PGB), after disposing of 49.23 million shares in the oil and gas services group.

SEA1 Offshore ceases to be substantial shareholder in Propel Global

Philippine authorities said a politician from Marawi City in the country's southern island of Mindanao had allegedly chartered the Malaysia-based private jet involved in a bid to fly over half a tonne of meth from Laos to the Philippines, Bernama reports.

Mindanao politician funded private jet in Laos drug bust, say Philippine authorities

A total of 13,743.15 tonnes of vehicle battery waste classified under scheduled waste code SW103 were generated nationwide between 2021 and 2025, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES).

A total of 13,743 tonnes of battery waste generated nationwide from 2021 to 2025

Malaysia is stepping up efforts to achieve its US$30 billion bilateral trade target with Thailand in 2027 through improved border infrastructure, cross-border financing and trade facilitation measures under Budget 2027, said Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.

Amir Hamzah said bilateral trade reached RM85.08 billion in the first seven months of 2026, compared with RM66.95 billion in the same period last year, while trade along the Bukit Kayu Hitam-Sadao corridor totalled RM27 billion in the first half of this year.

Malaysia steps up efforts to achieve US$30 bil trade target with Thailand

Malaysia should continue fiscal consolidation, broaden its tax base and improve subsidy targeting to strengthen its resilience to future economic shocks, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

IMF Asia and Pacific Department director Krishna Srinivasan said Malaysia and Brunei were the two Asean countries exporting energy and benefiting from the recent energy shocks.

Malaysia should broaden tax base, improve subsidy targeting to withstand future shocks — IMF

Philippine authorities said a politician from Marawi City in the country's southern island of Mindanao had allegedly chartered the Malaysia-based private jet&nbsp;involved in a bid to fly over half a tonne of meth from Laos to the Philippines, Bernama reports.

Here is a brief recap of some business news and corporate announcements that made the headlines on Thursday.

Of the 19 Bursa Malaysia-listed firms dropped by audit firm TGS TW PLT last month, 13 have since announced replacements, with interior design outfit Adnex Group Bhd (KL:ADNEX) being the latest to fill the vacancy.

Thirteen of 19 firms dropped by TGS TW have named replacements; most opted for Kudos SBC

JAKS Resources Bhd (KL:JAKS) has proposed to place out up to 10% of its total issued shares to third-party investors to be identified to raise an estimated RM40.71 million for debt repayment and working capital.

JAKS Resources plans RM40.71m placement to raise funds for debt repayment, working capital

Labuan Corporation (LC) has appointed entrepreneur Jeffrey Lim Tau Hoong as chief executive officer of its wholly-owned investment subsidiary, Invest Labuan Sdn Bhd (ILSB), effective Thursday.

Jeffrey Lim appointed Invest Labuan CEO

A witness who had filed a police report against the director and producer of the banned film “Mentega Terbang” in 2023 testified in court on Thursday that the movie had not shaken her faith as a Muslim despite having watched the movie in its entirety.

Witness says 'Mentega Terbang' did not lead her astray despite previously claiming the movie would lead Muslims to do so

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 15): The Retirement Fund Incorporated's (KWAP) RM750 million allocation under Budget 2027 represents a planned commercial investment for Projek Vista Kampus across six selected universities, with the investment intended to generate sustainable long-term returns for the retiremen...

Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) will start collecting data from banks, insurers and payment firms automatically through application programming interfaces (APIs) in late 2028, replacing the reporting system it has used since 2012.

Bank Negara to replace 14-year-old reporting system with API-based data collection from late 2028

Duopharma Biotech Bhd (KL:DPHARMA) said on Thursday its wholly owned unit has secured exclusive rights to distribute Taiwan-based Enimmune Corp's hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) vaccine in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, subject to regulatory approval in the three countries. &nbsp;

Duopharma Biotech unit secures HFMD vaccine distribution rights in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei

Vestland Bhd (KL:VLB) has secured a contract worth RM225.07 million to undertake river widening and related flood mitigation works in Kelantan.

Vestland bags RM225 mil river widening job in Kelantan

Citaglobal Bhd (KL:CITAGLB) has proposed a capital reduction of RM255 million to wipe out its accumulated losses and create retained earnings to enable a share buyback.

Citaglobal proposes RM255m capital reduction and share buyback

The Nasdaq fell to near one-month lows on Thursday, weighed by a worsening sell-off in AI-linked stocks on fears rising interest rates could impact artificial-intelligence investments, and fresh data pointing to building US price pressures.

Nasdaq slides to near one-month low as AI rout deepens

HCK Capital Group Bhd (KL:HCK) is kicking off construction of the first phase of its RM1.8 billion e.Sentral SmartCity development in Shah Alam, Selangor, by awarding a RM220 million construction contract to Alphazen Contract Sdn Bhd.

The entire 10-acre mixed-use development, which is touted to combine smart-living technology with direct access to nature, is located in Damansara West, HCK Capital’s bourse filing showed on Thursday (Oct 15).

HCK Capital kicks off works on RM1.8 bil e.Sentral SmartCity with award of RM220 mil construction contract

In his Budget 2027 speech, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced RM1.2 billion in investments by Khazanah Nasional and KWAP to help local semiconductor companies move into higher-value segments, including an investment fund involving Khazanah and the Selangor state government. Separately, Khazanah and InvestPenang will establish a RM100 million Strategic Investment Fund to support semiconductor and advanced manufacturing companies in their early stages of growth. These commitments signal support for domestic industrial upgrading. Yet the speech offers no explicit focus or dedicated measures for precision machining and outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing (OSAT) — two critical pillars of Malaysia’s semiconductor ecosystem that deserve greater attention in the country’s industrial strategy.

Opinion: Budget 2027 — Malaysia must back its semiconductor backbone before the window closes

Astaka Padu Sdn Bhd and Kimlun Corporation Bhd (KL:KIMLUN) are extending their partnership to jointly develop the RM450 million gross development value&nbsp;Amora Serviced Residence (ASR) in Johor Bahru.

Astaka Padu, Kimlun partner to develop RM450 mil serviced apartment project in JB

Malaysia will continue to use diplomatic channels and Asean mechanisms to address the transboundary haze issue with Indonesia through a phased approach that prioritises its people's interests and health, without jeopardising bilateral relations, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Malaysia has no plans to take legal action or issue diplomatic note over haze — Mohamad Hasan

Malaysia should continue fiscal consolidation, broaden its tax base and improve subsidy targeting to strengthen its resilience to future economic shocks, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

IMF Asia and Pacific Department director Krishna Srinivasan said Malaysia and Brunei were the two Asean countries exporting energy and benefiting from the recent energy shocks.

Corporate governance in Malaysia is entering an enhanced phase. As Malaysia moves towards the forthcoming 2026 revision of the Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance (MCCG), attention is moving beyond boards and directors to the wider governance ecosystem, including the role and accountability of company secretaries.

The shift is significant. In a recent speech, the Securities Commission (SC) Chairman said consultations for MCCG 2026 highlighted the need to strengthen the competence, capabilities and professionalism of company secretaries.&nbsp;

Corporate governance beyond the boardroom

The World Economic Forum could appoint Christine Lagarde as its next chair as soon as next month, four people close to the organisation told Reuters, meaning she would step down early as European Central Bank chief and trigger a wider reshuffle at the top of the ECB.

WEF could appoint Lagarde as early as November — Reuters

Norway-registered SEA1 Offshore Rederi AS has ceased to be a substantial shareholder in loss-making Propel Global Bhd (KL:PGB), after disposing of 49.23 million shares in the oil and gas services group.

Budget 2021

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