KUALA LUMPUR – Reinstating the Parliamentary Services Act can open the door to ensuring opposition MPs also receive funds for their constituencies, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said told the Dewan Rakyat today.
She said with a return of the act, which was gazetted in 1963 but repealed in 1992, Parliament would once again be truly independent and able to decide on its own finances, as well as administration and staffing.
“Parliament will be free with the power to decide its own direction and facilities, not just for the speaker or staff, but for MPs as well.
“We will be able to start discussions on the issue of allocations, directions… we will have the freedom to discuss all this.
“It will shape a new way of how Parliament and the executive deal with one another,” Azalina said during Ministers’ Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat.
She was responding to supplementary questions by Chow Yu Hui (Raub-PH) and Abd Ghani Ahmad (Jerlun-PN) on funding allocations for all MPs, including those with the opposition.
Chow in his supplementary question had raised the issue of MPs’ lack of funds to employ good researchers, and asked if the act would strengthen Parliament so that it could give its own allowance to MPs, including those from the opposition.
Chow’s original question was on the government’s plans to bring back the act to show its commitment to creating a fully independent and autonomous Parliament, which currently is under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department.
Ghani, meanwhile, pointed out that the current prime minister “was not shy” in repeatedly saying that allocations would be given to opposition MPs if they came forward to ask for it and discuss it with the government.
“Will the proposed act do away with this power and give 100% autonomy to Parliament without any interference from the executive or political pressure?” Ghani asked.
Azalina also said the draft bill to reinstate the act was “90% complete”.
“We are only waiting for the time (to table it).”
The lack of federal funding to opposition MPs for their constituencies has been a long-standing issue on the principle that citizens should not be punished even if they did not vote for candidates from a government party.
Government MPs under the present administration receive RM1.3 million in constituency allocations, while opposition lawmakers have been invited to negotiate with Putrajaya on what they need to assist their constituents.
A few PN lawmakers from Bersatu who declared support for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in recent months said they received constituency allocations shortly after they switched allegiance, even though they did not leave their party. – March 13, 2024