PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional MPs are stepping up their calls to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to set aside development funds for Opposition lawmakers in line with his Malaysia Madani aspirations for a just government.
They said the lack of allocations for Opposition MPs in the revised Budget 2023 tabled by Anwar on Feb 24 goes against his long-held stance as a reformist as well as Pakatan Harapan’s election manifesto.
Beluran MP Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee said Anwar has a moral responsibility to give equal funding to all MPs as Pakatan had been advocating this for years.
“Now that they are in the government, they should give all MPs equal funding.
“It is for them to show they are magnanimous and respect the will of the people who voted for Perikatan.
“Money from the Prime Minister’s Department’s Implementation Coordination Unit and whatever funds allotted to Opposition MPs will be given back to the people in the form of development and service. So they should give these funds to MPs of all parties in the country,” said Kiandee.
The Bersatu vice-president said the previous RM3.8mil in constituency development funds for MPs was useful to fund small projects and any other urgent matters.
“If we were to wait for allocations from the ministry, it would be very slow, so this development allocation was helpful to us,” said Kiandee, whose constituency Beluran is a rural area in Sabah.
MPs aligned with the government receive a RM1.3mil development allowance annually, which used to be RM3.8mil.
Anwar said in February that the cut in funding was a move to better control the country’s finances.
Besides the constituency development funds, MPs also receive RM300,000 for maintaining their service centres.
However, Opposition MPs do not receive funds from the government.
Kubang Kerian MP Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said constituency development funds are crucial for MPs to serve their constituents.
“When the Prime Minister declared the Malaysia Madani framework, he laid out the foundation of a fair and just government based on the principles of religion.
“It was seen as a positive effort that would hopefully implement what was promised in the Pakatan election campaign.
“However, the act of restricting allocations to Opposition MPs is a disappointment to many parties. It is as if the people’s choice is not recognised by the government,” he said.Tuan Ibrahim, who is PAS deputy president, said the people are aware that Perikatan MPs will not be able to implement local development due to the lack of funds.
He added that the discrimination in allocations was not new as “PAS MPs from Kelantan were also not given allocations during Barisan Nasional’s rule”.
“But the people continue to support us because our MPs are always with the people. The people understand and are instead angry at the government over its actions towards their elected representatives,” he said.
On whether a Bill is needed to push for equitable funding for all parliamentarians, Tuan Ibrahim said this was not necessary, adding that it is not a matter of national policy.
On Monday, Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, who is also Bersatu secretary-general and Larut MP, said if MPs receive equal constituency development funds regardless of political parties, Anwar will gain public support, even among Perikatan supporters.
Electoral watchdog Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) said the promise of equal constituency development funds was part of Pakatan Harapan’s 2022 election manifesto and its promise to give all MPs equitable funding should be honoured in the spirit of Malaysia Madani.
“It is regrettable that the Prime Minister missed an opportunity to demonstrate his reformist credentials and what Malaysia Madani should look like. The government and the Opposition should sit down to negotiate a law that would ensure equitable constituency development funds,” Bersih said in a statement on Feb 24.
It also said that Perikatan, with 74 MPs represented 4,666,529 voters or 30% of those who had voted in the 15th General Election, and thus, withholding these funds was tantamount to not respecting the voters’ choice and right to vote for their preferred representative.
