BERSATU top leaders’ refusal to entertain or listen to its parliamentarians is the reason why six Bersatu MPs had decided to pledge their support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, claimed a source.
According to FMT, a parliamentarian who spoke on conditions of anonymity said around the middle of last year several MPs had begun highlighting the need for Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional (PN) to discuss the issue of allocation after the prime minister had indicated that he was open to talks on the matter.
The source said this was especially as first-time parliamentarians lack the resources to operate service centres and provide emergency assistance for people in their constituencies.
“When these issues were raised with the top four, they were not entertained… so a decision (on whether to support Anwar) had to be made,” the news portal quoted the MP as saying.
“Moreover, when they contacted the president, he did not respond at all. Bersatu and PN need to resolve this issue of allocations immediately.
“The MPs can’t rely on Bersatu’s financial resources which are limited,” said the source, who also claimed that MPs from PN were not informed of the progress in negotiations for allocations.
Bersatu is led by former premier Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. The deputy president’s seat is held by former Perak menteri besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, with Datuk Radzi Jidin and Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee serving as vice-presidents.
Citing the welfare of their constituents, six Bersatu MPs have declared their support for Anwar: Datuk Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal (Bukit Gantang), Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), and Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanafi (Tanjong Karang).
In September last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had made it unequivocally clear that he will not authorise budget allocations for opposition MPs unless negotiations are conducted with the federal government.
In his winding-up speech on the 12th Malaysia Plan mid-term review in the Dewan Rakyat on Sept 19 Anwar said PN MPs must emulate Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) strong spirit when negotiating with former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob when the coalition was in the opposition bloc.
He also revealed that a series of negotiations had been done with Ismail Sabri in September 2021, which resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide equal allocation distribution for all MPs in both blocs.
Meanwhile, the source who spoke to FMT further revealed that MPs from PAS were now seeing their Bersatu colleagues in a negative light.
“Without knowing the real problem, PAS blames Bersatu MPs and accuses them of being disloyal and not committed to the party’s ideology,” the source elaborated.
When quizzed about the possible outcome if top Bersatu leaders continued to ignore their MPs, the source said logically, there will be more MPs declaring their support for Anwar.
“But the most damaging thing will be during the next general election. People won’t see Bersatu, except when they play up Malay and Islamic sentiments,” he added. – Jan 30, 2024
Main pic credit: Bernama
