Include parliamentary allocations in annual budget, says PKR MP

 Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim says the power to give or withhold parliamentary allocations should not be left to the discretion of any prime minister.

(From left) PKR MPs Hassan Karim and Zahir Hassan as well as Amanah MP Sany Hamzan have supported a call by DAP for equal funds to be provided to all MPs.

PETALING JAYA:

A PKR MP has suggested that funds for parliamentary constituencies be provided for in the annual federal budget, following calls for equal allocations for all Members of Parliament.

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim said the power to give or withhold parliamentary allocations should not be left to the discretion of any prime minister.

“There must be a law stipulating that funds for parliamentary constituencies are provided for in the national budget every year, and that the prime minister is responsible for implementing it without fail,” he told FMT.

Earlier, opposition MP Ronald Kiandee had called on PKR and Amanah MPs to state their positions after DAP leaders backed a fair and institutionalised allocation system.

DAP chairman Gobind Singh Deo had urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to provide equal funds to all MPs and to institutionalise this practice by enacting legislation to permanently guarantee the allocations.

Hassan, together with Wangsa Maju MP Zahir Hassan, also of PKR, and Hulu Langat MP Sany Hamzan, from Amanah, agreed that constituency allocations should be distributed fairly to all elected representatives.

Zahir said he hoped the amount given to elected representatives could be increased to meet the needs of their constituents.

He said channelling the funds through MPs elected by the people was the best approach because “every sen that is administered is a responsibility”.

Sany said the government and opposition should first reach an agreement on the distribution mechanism to ensure that aid actually reached the people.

He also believed that the amount allocated should take into account the size of the population or number of voters.

Constituencies with nearly 400,000 voters should not be assessed using the same method as those with 100,000.

Sany said enacting legislation is not the only option at the initial stage.

“We need to establish a mechanism first before it can perhaps be formalised as a regulation or law. When a party forms the government, this regulation or mechanism must be used,” he said.

Following today’s Cabinet meeting, government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said the Cabinet may discuss the proposal for a specific law to ensure equal allocations for all MPs in the future.

Fahmi said the Cabinet did not discuss the proposal today, “but the prime minister is aware of the matter”. - FMT