PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has reiterated that opposition MPs must be granted the same amount of funding as government MPs and not merely funds for administrative expenditure.
Tuan Ibrahim claimed that simply providing funds for administrative expenses to opposition MPs was unjust and that Pakatan Harapan (PH) was breaching its electoral pledge made in the 15th General Election (GE15).
“It wasn’t our GE15 pledge, but theirs,” FMT quoted him as saying.
The allocation funding for administrative expenses would simply make it more difficult for opposition MPs to take care of concerns in their constituencies.
He went on to say that these included natural disasters such as fire and storm damage. He also stated that he would wait for an official announcement on the matter.
On Thursday (April 27), Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that Putrajaya had agreed in principle to allocate only administrative expenses to opposition MPs.
Zahid stated that the situation was nearing completion, with fellow Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof negotiating with the necessary opposition leaders. He went on to say that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would soon make an announcement.
Previously, electoral watchdog Bersih had asked PH to keep its GE15 promise of equal funding for all MPs, saying that it is long overdue for opposition MPs to be given equal constituency allocations regardless of their political affiliation.
The 148 government MPs each receive RM1.3 mil per year for constituency development, which is significantly more than the allocation for opposition MPs.
The money are available to be spent by the MPs in any way they see fit, including to cover the costs of running their service centres.
The Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob administration had given equal funds to all MPs after the former prime minister signed a memorandum of understanding with PH shortly after he was appointed to the top post. – April 28, 2023
Main pic credit: Facebook/Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man
