Stop the baloney, provide equal allocation to all elected reps

 

Recently, Arau MP Shahidan Kassim accused the government of being unfair for denying Perikatan Nasional (PN) MPs equal allocation for their constituency.

In return, former Umno MP Nazri Abdul Aziz pointed out that PN should look at itself in the mirror as they had denied Pakatan Harapan equal allocation while they were running Putrajaya.

Let me make my point very clear. Denying any MP or assemblyperson equal allocation just because they come from the other side is undemocratic and, in my opinion, illegal as well.

In a democracy, like it or not, we must respect the decision made by the electorate. We must put our prejudices and personal bias aside and do what’s right for voters.

Denying any MP or assemblyperson equal allocation, in my view, is an “act of punishing voters” for their choice of leaders. Is that what we call democracy? Nazri, being a veteran politician and lawyer, should know better.

BN started the practice

And for Nazri’s attention, it was BN that started the practice of denying opposition MPs equal allocation. In the past, many of the latter’s MPs had to resort to donation drives just to get some funds to do their constituency work.

Often, many opposition leaders back then had to dig into their own pockets to provide for their constituents.

But this piece is not about pointing fingers at anyone. This is about how to set things right and move forward. In this case, PKR MP Hassan Abdul Karim seems to have his heart and mind on the right track.

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim

He countered Nazri’s argument with the same points I had made but added several other good ones - providing equal allocation would create a fair political atmosphere for all and reduce politicians’ dependence on corporations and individuals so as to prevent graft.

Reinstate Parliamentary Services Act

In any case, it is imperative for the government to resolve this issue once and for all and reinstating the Parliamentary Services Act would be key to supporting this institutional reform.

Once the Act is reinstated, the government, among others, should ensure that allocation for MPs is channelled by Parliament instead of the executive branch. Plus, Putrajaya must be compelled by law to provide enough funds and resources to all MPs regardless of their political affiliation.

The said legislation must also compel all state legislative assemblies to do the same for their assemblypersons.

The onus now falls on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his team to do what’s right for the nation and its voters.

With all the big talk on institutional reforms, let us also go all out for restoring the democratic rights of all elected leaders and their voters - without the need to write to the prime minister for allocations like what Nazri had said. - Mkini

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G VINOD is a member of the Malaysiakini team.