Photo: Bernama
IPOH: The opposition should not be perturbed by the appointment of 26 special officers serving in opposition-held constituencies in Perak, says Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.
During his winding-up speech at the Perak state assembly sitting on Tuesday (April 22), Saarani defended the appointment of the 26 officers, stating that the move is not about seizing political control but about fulfilling the state government’s responsibility to serve people without discrimination.
He addressed criticism from opposition lawmakers, including accusations of power abuse, wastage of public funds, and political interference.
“Some have labelled me a biased Mentri Besar, some even portrayed me as wanting to sideline opposition representatives.
“Opposition representatives, including those from Changkat Jong, Manjoi, and Chandan, had earlier questioned the financial justification behind the appointments.
“They claimed the RM10,000 monthly allowance per officer, totalling over RM3.1mil annually, was an unnecessary burden on state funds,” he said.
Saarani rebutted this, pointing out that similar practices exist in other states like Kedah and Kelantan, where coordinators are appointed to serve constituencies held by the opposition parties.
“If the RM10,000 allowance is considered a waste, are we also saying that the same roles in other states are wasteful too?” he asked.
Saarani also reminded the assembly that the practice of appointing coordinators was first approved in 2018, when the now Bersatu vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu was the Mentri Besar.
Saarani added that upon taking office in 2020, he was presented with the option to implement the policy (to appoint coordinators) but chose not to do so at the time.
“If I were power-hungry, I would have acted on it four years ago. But I chose not to, because I did not want to act rashly.
“The ongoing feedback from the ground showed that many local issues remained unresolved, and government outreach was limited in some areas, especially opposition-held ones.
“The appointment of Special Officers, he said, is meant to address that gap,” he added.
The Mentri Besar also dismissed claims that the move was politically motivated, citing examples of opposition lawmakers in Perak receiving more generous service centre allowances than their counterparts in other states.
He said, as for the method of allocation, whether through service centre aid or development programme funding, the format is not all that different.
“So do not accuse me of being unjust. If the issue at hand is justice, then let us be clear about what exactly is the justice we are demanding.. Is it about the total development allocation? Or does justice mean the funds must be channelled directly through opposition assemblymen?
“If that is the logic, then opposition representatives in Perak are actually better off because while opposition assemblymen in Perak receive a service centre allocation of RM10,000 a month, their counterparts in other states receive only RM2,000 monthly,” he added
