Johor Pakatan reps reject observer role at respective district action committee meetings

ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor Pakatan Harapan assemblymen have rejected Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad’s offer of being observers in their respective district action committee meetings.

State PKR deputy chairman Jimmy Puah Wee Tse said the offer made by Hasni during the tabling of state budget 2022 was unfair to their positions as elected representatives.

The Bukit Batu assemblyman said Pakatan assemblymen should be given a better and clearer position in the action committee meeting.

“As we are only playing a role as observers, we cannot raise local issues that affect the people within our respective constituencies during the district action committee meetings.

“We do not want to go to the meeting just to watch the meetings while eating 'kueh' as we can voice out the problems and find a solution to it,” he added.

Puah said this in a press conference held on the sidelines of the Johor assembly meeting held at Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar on Tuesday (Nov 23).

He also said even as Opposition assemblymen, they were qualified to attend the meetings as they are elected by the people and can bring their voices to solve local issues.

Puah added that all 27 Pakatan assemblymen agreed to reject the offer from the state government during a meeting that was held after the tabling of the budget.

He said state Opposition chief Aminolhuda Hassan has already forwarded the rejection to Hasni, who is aware about the matter.

Puah added that they would also table a motion on the matter if the state government does not change their offer to them.

“Hasni has the political will to make changes where he has shown it many times before and we would see in his winding up speech this Sunday (Nov 28) whether he has a better offer for us,” he said.

On Thursday, during the tabling of the state budget, Hasni, who is Benut assemblyman and state Umno chief, invited Opposition assemblymen as observers to attend their respective district action committee meetings.

He also announced that all 56 state assemblymen would receive RM200,000 annually for them to take better care of their constituents.

In his speech, Hasni added that assemblymen would also receive an additional RM50,000 a year to help organise celebrations for major festivals such as Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and others.

"I hope this allocation will help assemblymen provide better services in their constituencies,” he added.