Penang’s RM40,000 allocation nothing compared with Putrajaya’s development costs in opposition areas, says deputy Finance Minister

The Federal Government allocates more than the annual RM40,000 the Penang government has pledged to disburse to opposition assemblymen in the state, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan (pic) said today.

He said the Government has, in fact, been spending most of its funds in areas where Barisan Nasional had lost.

"Kuala Lumpur is one of the areas where we lost the most but which is the most developed in the country.

"We are the ones who developed Penang, Selangor and Kelantan," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby.

Ahmad Maslan said the government does not pick and choose areas it intends to develop.

"The 51km stretch from Sungai Buloh to Kajang cost RM30 billion. So, we are giving more than them," he added, comparing the amount to the Penang state government's allocation of RM40,000.

While admitting that the Federal Government does not follow the Penang government's example, he argued it has done more by allocating development funds for large areas administered by the federal opposition.

Citing Penang, Kelantan and Selangor, he said: "In fact, the rakyat's welfare comes first, not which political party runs the state."

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had, earlier this week, said the DAP-led state would allocate RM40,000 a year to each opposition assemblyman from next year.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim labelled the Penang government's move a publicity stunt, questioning the motive behind the allocation.

"What is it for? Management costs or development costs? What can the state assemblymen do with RM40,000?" he asked.

He said the Government does not practise such "stunts" and that the BN has done much more in terms of allocating funds.

"The Government's practice was to give the money for development directly to class-F contractors in any constituency," he added.