Malaysia's opposition yesterday said the federal budget tabled by the Muhyiddin administration lacked a clear direction for economic recovery post-pandemic, as several bipartisan demands made by the opposition remained unfulfilled in the budget.

Its criticisms raise the question whether the opposition will back the "Unity Budget", as repeatedly called by the Malaysian King.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said the government's revenue projection was "worrying" and its lack of direction for an economic recovery plan is the "biggest weakness" of the RM322 billion (S$105 billion) budget which was presented by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz.

"This budget does not portray how we can stimulate and develop the economy, and also does not address the issue of unemployment and those who have lost their jobs," Datuk Seri Anwar said in a Facebook video shortly after the budget was tabled.

Mr Anwar's colleague in Parti Keadilan Rakyat, MP Wong Chen, said on Twitter: "The Ministry of Finance, in terms of money allocated, ignored the bulk of six key Pakatan Harapan (PH) recommendations. Is this sayonara to the Unity Budget idea?"

The opposition PH coalition made six recommendations to be included in the budget, and Democratic Action Party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng previously warned that its support for the budget hinges on the inclusion of the recommendations, chief among those a reintroduction of a blanket moratorium on bank loans.

Umno, a member of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition, had also made a similar demand to extend the loan moratorium.

But the budget presented had only provisions for targeted loan assistance focused mostly on low-income households.

The PN government controls 113 seats in the 222-strong Malaysian Parliament, giving it a precarious two-seat majority to pass the crucial budget, if it chooses to do so without backing from the opposition.

Malaysia's King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, has urged all Malaysian MPs to lend bipartisan support and pass the budget as Malaysia battles the coronavirus, with a record 1,755 new cases logged yesterday.

However, Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun said that modifications could still be made to the budget to ensure that all parties are able to agree and pass the crucial expenditure Bill.

"In the days to come, amendments would likely be made to accommodate such seemingly bipartisan, albeit populist, proposals such that the budget Bill could be smoothly passed," he told The Straits Times.