Govt to consider allocations for opposition, will draft MOU

 

The Unity Government Secretariat Supreme Leadership Council has agreed in principle to consider extending allocations to elected representatives from the opposition, said Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof.

According to Bernama, the government chief whip said a draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) will be prepared and conveyed to the opposition for further discussion.

Fadillah added that the council reached an agreement during its meeting at Sri Perdana, Putrajaya yesterday.

“The meeting, which lasted for more than an hour, was chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and attended by top leaders of component parties in the unity government,” he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, DAP chief whip Nga Kor Ming said the meeting yesterday did not discuss terms and conditions.

“Allocations (for opposition MPs) will be based on the terms and conditions that will be discussed later.

“We need a responsible opposition, not one that plays on sentiments which don’t benefit the country,” Bernama reported the local government development minister as saying after a visit to Kuala Kubu Baharu earlier.

PN to study conditions first

In a response, opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin said that the Perikatan Nasional leadership would study the terms and conditions stipulated in the MOU before making any decisions.

“We laud the government’s decision to provide allocations to opposition MPs.

“However, we will only make a decision after scrutinising the conditions set by the government,” the Larut MP added.

Later, Free Malaysia Today reported PN chief Muhyiddin Yassin affirming Hamzah’s statement, saying the opposition coalition has not agreed to anything yet.

“We will consider (it). As of now, we have no idea what are the conditions that would be incorporated in the MOU for the next round of meetings,” the former prime minister stated. - Mkini