Give All Assemblymen Equal Funds Pkr Man Tells Selangor Govt

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PKR’s R Sivarasa says opposition MPs and assemblymen should receive equal allocations as their government counterparts.PETALING JAYA: A PKR leader has urged the Selangor government to set aside equal allocations for all assemblymen in the state, including the opposition.
Describing such a move as aligned to Pakatan Harapan’s principles, Selangor PKR vice-chief R Sivarasa called for the proposal to be discussed by the newly installed state government and state assembly.
“In principle, I support giving equal allocations to the assemblymen from the opposition,” he told FMT.
He said the issue was raised in the Dewan Rakyat on numerous occasions during his two terms as Sungai Buloh MP but was never fully implemented by the federal government, even when PH was in power.
“I have stated my position since long ago, even when I was an MP. Unfortunately, it could not be implemented,” said Sivarasa, who also leads PKR’s legal bureau.
On Wednesday, the Perikatan Nasional Kelantan government said the two opposition assemblymen in the state will receive the same allocation as their PN counterparts.
Kelantan menteri besar Nassuruddin Daud promised that the state administration would be fair to all elected representatives in the distribution of allocations.
The matter has also been an issue at the federal level with Putrajaya coming under fire for not providing equal allocations to PN MPs.
The unity government had held negotiations with PN, but the opposition coalition later declined to submit an official proposal despite Putrajaya’s request for them to do so. The matter appears to have hit a dead-end since then.
Presently, each of the government’s 148 MPs is allocated development funds of RM1.3 million annually, an amount several times higher than the allocation for opposition MPs.
Opposition MPs only received equal allocations when Ismail Sabri Yaakob was the prime minister, after his coalition signed a memorandum of understanding with Pakatan Harapan, which formed the opposition then. - FMT

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