PETALING JAYA: Putrajaya has been urged to tackle “injustices”, such as unequal allocations for opposition MPs, in the wake of electoral gains by Perikatan Nasional in the recent state polls.
PKR backbencher Hassan Karim said equal allocations for MPs were vital as the development funds were meant to help the public, including those in opposition-controlled states.
Pleas to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for MPs across the divide to be given equal allocations have so far fallen on deaf ears. People in PN-led states can see that such pleas are being ignored, Hassan said.
“Their rights are being denied by the federal government. So don’t blame them if they think the federal government is unfair to them.
“The people should not be punished if the MP of that area is from the opposition,” said Hassan, who is Pasir Gudang MP.
Opposition MPs had only received equal allocations by the Ismail Sabri Yaakob government after his coalition signed a memorandum of understanding with Pakatan Harapan, which then formed the opposition.
The 148 government MPs are currently allocated RM1.3 million each in development funds annually, an amount that is many times higher than the allocation for opposition MPs.
Hassan said PH and Barisan Nasional, its ally in the federal government coalition, should reflect on their losses at the recent state polls. PN picked up seats in Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan while retaining power in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu.
Previous governments had sidelined peninsular east coast states for decades, Hassan said, especially in matters of oil royalties to Kelantan, while certain constitutional privileges accorded to Malays had been exploited by the elites.
“That is why Umno is now extinct in Terengganu, Kelantan, Perlis and Kedah while PKR and Amanah in PH, who are allied with Umno, suffered a similar fate as Umno candidates in the poorer Malay majority states,” Hassan said in a statement. - FMT
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