A SELANGOR opposition lawmaker questioned whether the state can legally allocate RM355.06mil under the Selangor Resilience Strengthening Package (PPDTS) without tabling the expenditure in the state legislative assembly.
Mohd Shafie Ngah (PN-Sungai Ramal) said based on his understanding of Selangor State Constitution 1959, any expenditure involving state funds must follow procedures stipulated under Articles 87, 88 and 89.
He said these provisions govern the annual budget, supplementary budget and the authority to disburse state funds, hence required a bill to be tabled before the assembly.
“A bill provides the legal authority for the government to spend state funds,” he said when intervening during the debate session at the Selangor state assembly sitting at Bangunan Dewan Negeri Selangor in Shah Alam yesterday.
Mohd Shafie said the absence of a bill raised questions on the state government’s right to distribute funds announced under the package.
Responding to the issue, Selangor state assembly Speaker Lau Weng San said PPDTS was not tabled for approval.
The package was presented to enable elected representatives to offer feedback and recommendations to the state government, he said.
Lau said the special sitting was convened under provisions that empowered the Speaker to call an early meeting to deliberate on matters of public importance.
“What is being presented under this provision is neither a specific motion nor a bill. Therefore, it will not be tabled for a vote or formal approval by the assembly.
“As such, the package will be debated, with members of the state executive council responding to the issues raised.”
Lau said the debate was held to gather feedback on measures the state government should or could implement to help the public cope with current challenges.
Meanwhile, Mu’izzuddeen Mahyuddin (PN-Hulu Bernam) urged the setting up of a publicly accessible dashboard to monitor the package.
“The state needs to display the implementation status of PPDTS initiatives, real-time percentage of allocation spent and number of beneficiaries,” he said.
He suggested clear key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess whether PPDTS allocations had meaningful impact.
Jefri Mejan (PN-Ijok) urged the state government to make PPDTS more inclusive.
“The aid distribution should not be reliant on digital apps.
“Senior citizens, people living in rural areas, the disabled community and those who are not tech-savvy will be left out.
“The state government should also extend assistance to workers in the manufacturing, logistics and construction sectors, as well as contract and white-collar workers, who continue to face cost-of-living pressures,” he said.
PPDTS is a two-phase financial aid and economic recovery stimulus package launched by the Selangor government to mitigate the impact of global supply chain crises, inflation, and job losses on its citizens and small businesses.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari announced the second phase of PPDTS on June 19.
