Allocations are for the people, not political rewards

 

ADUN SPEAKS | I refer to the recent statement by DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke calling on the Penang government to enact legislation to guarantee equal constituency development allocations to all state assemblypersons, regardless of political party.

This principle should also be adopted by all state governments, including Sabah.

I call on the Sabah government, where Pakatan Harapan is one of the components, to take the same step. The people must not be punished for choosing an elected representative from an opposition party, as they have the democratic right to choose whoever they wish.

After the election, they remain Sabahans who pay taxes and contribute to the state and the country's economies.

Constituency development allocations are public funds, not political party funds or rewards for constituencies that support the government.

Therefore, people in constituencies represented by the Opposition are equally entitled to allocations for roads, drains, flood mitigation, street lighting, community halls, public facilities, welfare and community assistance.

More importantly, the lack of allocations not only punishes those who voted for the opposition; it also punishes those who voted for the government.

After an election, every voter in a constituency is a resident of that constituency. They will continue to use the same roads, face the same floods, use the same public facilities and require the same welfare assistance, regardless of which party they voted for.

In fact, even voters who supported the government will still approach the elected assemblyperson as their constituency representative when they need assistance.

I take note of the Sabah government's efforts to appoint community development leaders (PPM) to assist in delivering government programmes in constituencies represented by the opposition.

However, a PPM is not the same as an assemblyperson. They are appointed by the government, while an assemblyperson is a representative directly elected by the people.

The people vote for their assemblyperson and naturally will approach the elected representative of their choice when they encounter problems.

At the same time, constituency development allocations must be accessible to and administered by the people's elected representative, subject to transparent, clear, and auditable procedures.

Allocations intended for the constituency should not be diverted or channelled through unelected political coordinators, thereby sidelining or bypassing the assemblyperson, who has the voters' mandate.

PPMs may assist in implementing government programmes, but they should not become a substitute for the elected representative in administering constituency allocations.

Therefore, the existence of PPMs cannot be used as a justification to deny, reduce, or bypass allocations to constituencies represented by opposition assemblypersons.

If the government genuinely wants to ensure that assistance reaches the people, allocations should be distributed fairly through a transparent and equal system for all state constituencies, with appropriate access and involvement by the assemblyperson elected by the people.

I propose that the Sabah government establish a formula for equal constituency development allocations for all 73 state constituencies, regardless of the political party represented by the respective assemblyperson.

If additional allocations are required based on factors such as population, rurality, or disasters, such criteria should also be applied transparently and consistently to all constituencies.

If the principle of equal allocation is considered good for Penang, why should it not be good for Sabah?

Sabah should not speak about democracy only when the people's choice favours the government. Democracy must also be respected when the people choose the opposition.

The government is for all Sabahans, not merely the supporters of the governing parties. An assemblyperson is likewise the representative of all the people in his or her constituency, whether they are on the government or opposition benches.

Development allocations should never be used as a tool to punish a constituency because of its political choice.

I call on the Sabah government to demonstrate that we truly practise mature democracy. Do not punish the people for their choice at the ballot box. Do not punish government supporters simply because their constituency elected an opposition representative.

Do not bypass the representative elected by the people in the distribution of constituency allocations. Public funds must return to the people fairly, transparently, and without political discrimination.

If Penang has the courage to take the lead on this, Sabah must also have the courage to do the same.

Sabahans are not asking for special treatment; they are simply demanding equal rights. - Mkini

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CHIN TEK MING is Kapayan assemblyperson.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.