KOTA KINABALU: It is not right to cut development allocations for MPs, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, says Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis.
The Kota Belud MP said the development funds were to help the people and for the betterment of the community.
“Looking at the size of Sabah and Sarawak, and how left behind these two states are in terms of economic and social developments, it is absolutely not right to slash the funds for these two states,” she said in a statement, Saturday (Feb 4).
Munirah said the slashing of development funds for backbencher MPs does not resonate with the unity federal government’s initiative to ensure balanced and fair development for Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
“In fact, the development funds for Sabah and Sarawak should be increased,” she said.
She said this was not in line with efforts to bridge the developmental gaps as per the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Munirah said she understood that the government was trying to cut down on many aspects of spending and was aiming to be more frugal, eliminate corruption and power abuse but slashing development funds was not the way to go.
It was recently reported that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had said that the annual development allocations for backbencher MPs have been slashed as the country's economy was still in recovery mode.
He said the allocations would be increased once the economy improves but would still coordinate with district officers and state economic development officers to ensure important projects were carried out.
Munirah, who is from Parti Warisan that is part of the federal unity government, said the allocations were meant for the people, and for the people only.
“It is not for personal use. This is different from other assistance programmes or special aid allocated for the people,” she said.
She said that many people also chose to approach their MPs or assemblymen directly for help when needed due to the lengthy process to apply for official government aid, as well as bureaucratic issues.
"Therefore I hope the Prime Minister can reconsider this matter and hold a meeting with all MPs and relevant agencies so that we can find a solution to reduce wastage, plug leakages, improve integrity and perform better for our constituents,” said Munirah.
