Anwar: CSA MPs to get constituency funds once Budget 2027 is passed

 

The 13 opposition and independent MPs who signed a confidence and supply agreement (CSA) with the government will receive their constituency development allocations once Budget 2027 is passed in Parliament, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

“The budget is being debated, and as soon as it is passed at the end of this year, we can channel (the funds) immediately according to our understanding,” Berita Harian quoted Anwar as saying after Friday prayers in Kuala Lumpur today.

The allocation is one of the terms in the CSA inked yesterday between Putrajaya and six Bersatu MPs, six other former Bersatu lawmakers who previously declared their support for Anwar, and Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

Besides the funds, the CSA requires the government to table two constitutional amendments - one on the prime minister’s term limits and another to separate the roles of the attorney-general and the public prosecutor.

Opposition and independent MPs signing a CSA with the government yesterday

In return, the MPs involved will support Budget 2027 and Anwar’s administration until the end of the current parliamentary term.

Equal constituency allocation for opposition MPs is a longstanding issue, with Perikatan Nasional previously rejecting a draft memorandum of understanding prepared by the government on the matter.

Hours after the CSA was signed yesterday, the Dewan Rakyat passed the Supply Bill 2027 at the policy stage via a majority voice vote. The bill will now be debated at the committee stage from next week to Nov 26.

All are welcome

Anwar today added that the government is open to accepting any other MPs who wish to join the CSA, saying the agreement is similar to the one signed in 2021 between then prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s administration and Pakatan Harapan.

“The principle is the same as what I did then as the opposition leader… at the time, the government consisted of Umno (BN), PAS, and Bersatu - we discussed and proposed allocations, so there is nothing odd about it.

“The agreement expressed yesterday is a good development, and this is open to anyone who wants to agree according to the methods they used before. This is not our new rule,” he said.

Government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil similarly said the door is open for discussions with other MPs interested in undertaking the CSA.

Government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil

Asked what would happen if the government fails to fulfil the agreement terms, Fahmi reiterated that the administration intends to implement what it has promised, particularly regarding institutional reforms.

Bersatu lawmakers suspended from the party after they were perceived to be aligned with its former deputy president Hamzah Zainudin were neither invited nor informed of the CSA signing ceremony.

Hours after Anwar shared a video clip of the signing event on his social media platforms, Wawasan Negara also posted an image on Facebook depicting its president and parliamentary opposition leader, Hamzah, alongside Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the BN chairperson.

This comes after BN and PN formally declared an alliance in the Malacca state election. The two coalitions also cooperated in the Negeri Sembilan and Johor state elections, to great success, despite BN’s alliance with Harapan at the federal level. - Mkini