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Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Muhyiddin pushes largest budget ever to fight COVID

Growth forecast to rebound to 7.5% in 2021; Anwar voices skepticism

Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, left, and Finance Minister Zafrul Aziz pose before submitting the 2021 budget to parliament on Nov. 6.   © Malaysia Information Department/Zarith Zulkifli via Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR -- The Malaysian government led by embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has proposed the largest spending plan in the country's history for 2021, hoping to pave the road back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finance Minister Zafrul Aziz submitted the 322.5 billion ringgit ($78.04 billion) budget to parliament on Friday -- an expansionary package that far exceeds estimated government revenue of 236.9 billion ringgit. This follows weeks of political wrangling that has threatened to bring down Muhyiddin's government, with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim still claiming to have the support of a majority of lawmakers.

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