KUALA LUMPUR: Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim has expressed disappointment over the absence of ministers during his Budget 2027 debate, saying he wanted to support the government’s proposals but no ministers were there to hear his views.
"I am a government backbencher and I want to support this Budget. There are many good things in it, but my friends in the Opposition are here to listen to me. The government is not here," he said in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Oct 21).
Hassan also urged the government to ensure fairer allocations for all 222 MPs, saying funding should not depend solely on the Prime Minister’s discretion.
He called for a Bill to establish a system that binds both the current administration and future governments to distribute constituency allocations fairly.
"If one constituency receives RM3mil or RM4mil, others should receive the same amount," he said.
On Sabah and Sarawak, Hassan welcomed the higher federal allocations for both states under Budget 2027, but called for a fairer distribution of the country’s wealth and natural resources.
He said the Petroleum Development Act 1974 should be reviewed to ensure a fairer arrangement for Sabah and Sarawak, as well as Terengganu and Kelantan.
He also stressed that Putrajaya must respect the Federal Constitution, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and relevant court decisions concerning Sabah and Sarawak.
"We love Sabah and Sarawak, just as our friends there love Peninsular Malaysia," he said, adding that helping the two states prosper would benefit the country as a whole.
Hassan also said Malaysians should not fear a change of government as long as Parliament could perform its checks and balances role and key institutions remained independent and professional.
"Building a nation takes time, but destroying it can happen very quickly," he said.
