Group calls for law to protect equal access to constituency funds

 Projek SAMA's demand comes after access for Subang MP Wong Chen's office to a government portal was reportedly blocked off.

Projek SAMA said constituency development funds come from taxpayers and should be administered by Parliament. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

A civil society group has called on all political parties to commit to enacting an equitable constituency development fund (CDF) law in any future coalition government agreement.

Projek SAMA said opposition parties should also table a private member’s bill on the issue, adding that constituency funds should be managed independently by Parliament rather than the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Every elected MP, government or opposition, represents Malaysians who pay taxes and are entitled to equal access to public resources,” it said in a statement.

“The CDF comes from taxpayers, not the ruling parties.”

The statement comes after Subang MP Wong Chen’s office was reportedly blocked from uploading Projek Mesra Rakyat applications for Subang schools on the MyKhas portal on May 20.

Wong was among the PKR MPs who attended a press conference by Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, where they announced that they were taking over Parti Bersama Malaysia.

While he remains in PKR, Wong has reportedly said that he would stand as a Bersama candidate if he were to contest in the next general election.

Projek SAMA said the alleged restriction would effectively deny about 178,000 registered voters in Subang, including those who did not vote for Pakatan Harapan in 2022, access to public funds they are entitled to.

“Selectively withholding CDF access punishes not just the MP alone, but also the constituents,” it said.

FMT has reached out to PMO for comment. - FMT