NGO repeats call for laws on development funds for elected reps
Published on: Wednesday, September 04, 2024
By: FMT
PN said the government has set seven conditions for the opposition under the draft MoU, including a requirement to support the current administration until the end of the parliamentary term. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: A reform NGO has again called for federal and state laws to be enacted to ensure development funds are given equally to elected representatives, regardless of party affiliation, as part of a cross-party peace deal to strengthen Malaysia’s multi-party democracy.
Projek Sama said the government should not be "weaponising" these allocations to shore up support in the Dewan Rakyat, when it already has a two-thirds majority.
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The NGO said it would be misleading to compare the pending memorandum of understanding with Perikatan Nasional to the one Pakatan Harapan signed with the Ismail Sabri Yaakob administration in September 2021.
“Then, the government had a fragile majority and needed a confidence and supply agreement, which was what that MoU (signed in 2021) essentially was.
“In stark contrast, the Madani government now has a two-thirds majority to govern. To weaponise the allocations – which come from all taxpayers, including opposition supporters – and blackmail the opposition MPs into backing the government, if the report is true, is hollowing multi-party democracy.
"We appreciate the Madani government’s concern to promote political stability and move the country away from the 3Rs (race, religion and royalty). But this needs to be done by promoting healthy and professional competition on policy, competence and integrity, not by suppressing competition," it said in a statement.
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Perikatan Nasional had said it will meet all its MPs next Monday to discuss the draft MoU concerning constituency allocations.
PN chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan said the views of all its MPs must be taken into account before making any decision regarding the conditions outlined in the draft MoU.
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Takiyuddin previously said the government had set seven conditions for the opposition under the draft deal, including a requirement to support Anwar Ibrahim’s administration until the end of the current parliamentary term.
Projek Sama also commended the Perak and Kelantan governments for distributing equal allocations to assemblymen, but urged both states to legislate this practice to ensure it continues regardless of administrations.
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