NILAI: All Negri Sembilan assemblymen would receive equal annual allocations regardless of party if Bersatu forms the state government, says Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The Bersatu president contrasted the pledge with what he called the Federal Government's unfair treatment of opposition lawmakers, and said it reflected a principle of fairness he had upheld as prime minister.
"This shows we are fair. When I was prime minister, I gave allocations to all MPs, whether they were from the government or not," he said to reporters after launching Bersatu's Negri Sembilan election manifesto on Saturday (July 25).
He said Putrajaya had since failed to do the same, leaving opposition representatives without funds to serve their constituents.
"The allocation is not for the personal use of the representative. It is used to help the people in their area.
"I did not get a single sen. The MPs did not get a single sen. We want to show we are fair to all," he said.
The pledge is among 76 in Bersatu's manifesto, which is built around nine pillars.
Under its governance pillar, the party has promised to enact a law ensuring equal annual allocations for all assemblymen and to set up a committee of Negri Sembilan professionals to monitor delivery of its promises.
"If we win 23 seats, they will get their allocations," Muhyiddin said.
Meanwhile, he criticised the electoral understanding between Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional, dismissing the pact as a power grab.
Muhyiddin, who chairs Perikatan, said the two coalitions did not amount to a genuine alliance.
"These are their respective interests, and those interests do not necessarily share the same aim. Their focus is on cooperating to gain power," he claimed.
He seized on Barisan's rejection of the term "Perikatan-Barisan".
"Who is (Datuk Seri) Hamzah Zainudin to call it that? It was shot down because Barisan did not agree," he said, referring to the Parti Wawasan Negara founder.
Muhyiddin challenged whether the pact had offered voters anything comparable to the manifesto.
"The issue is about the livelihood of the people. Have they ever mentioned it? Have they put out a manifesto?" he said.
Bersatu will contest 24 seats out of the 36 total state seats in the Aug 1 Negri Sembilan polls on its own.
A total of 889,490 voters are eligible to cast ballots, with early voting on July 28.
