PETALING JAYA: The recently announced RM1mil allocation for every parliamentary constituency must be disbursed swiftly and without political considerations, say several Members of Parliament (MPs).
They said the allocation was welcome but might still fall short of the needs of many constituencies.
Pontian MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan cited a recent incident in which he received 53 applications for financial assistance within three hours during his constituency open day.
“Applications from the people are numerous and they cover funds for education, religion, sports, youth, women and development.
“The RM1mil would cover only four community hall projects at RM250,000 each, while I have 44 village heads overseeing hundreds of villages in my constituency,” he said.
He added that details of the latest allocation remained unclear and needed clarification from the Prime Minister’s Department.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced an additional RM1mil allocation for MPs during the PKR national congress, assuring that it would be based on the needs of the people rather than political considerations.
Tenggara MP Manndzri Nasib said he was grateful for the additional funding but would reserve comment pending its actual disbursement.
He pointed out that existing MP allocations had been held up for as long as four months under new procedures.
“Stricter processes strengthen governance but hamper efforts to speedily help the community,” he said.
Ledang MP Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said the allocation was equal across the board.
“It is not MP- or party-based, so the question of opposition or Perikatan Nasional-led states getting it does not arise,” he said.
MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng said the allocation must not become a political tool, although Anwar had given an assurance that this would not happen.
The Tanjung Piai MP cited a previous instance in which six Bersatu MPs had to declare their support for the Prime Minister to receive their allocation.
He also noted that three PKR MPs were denied access to the MyKhas portal following an internal party dispute.
“Constituency allocation is the rakyat’s right and a public resource that must never be made a political reward or punishment,” he said.
Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung raised questions over who would control the additional funds and how they would be channelled.
He cited instances where funds were allegedly channelled through government-appointed coordinators or proxies for the Petaling Jaya, Ampang and Subang constituencies.
“Even if the government implements equal allocation, the Prime Minister can still use a proxy system to sideline elected representatives,” he said.
Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari also wanted to know which agency would be responsible for disbursing the additional allocation.
The PAS information chief said it would be difficult to determine whether the funds were addressing the urgent needs of constituents if they were handled by an agency.
