KUALA LUMPUR – The government’s draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the opposition on constituency funding did not state the allocation amount as no agreement has been reached on the terms, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said.
“The terms have not yet been agreed upon. If you want to talk about the amount, it should not be to the media.
“Just respond to the draft and then we will discuss it – and when we agree and finalise it, we will show it to the media,” Bernama reported Fadillah saying today after attending the Malaysian Law Students Legal Aid Convention 2024.
Fadillah, who is the unity government secretariat secretary-general, said the opposition bloc has yet to respond to the government’s draft MoU, which was sent about a month ago.
If the opposition disagrees with any of the terms, they should express it through the “right channel” and hold discussions with him, rather than take their grouses to the media, he said.
Fadillah, who is the unity government’s representative tasked to negotiate constituency allocations for opposition MPs, said the conditions in the draft MoU are aimed at ensuring political in the country.
“We don’t want to talk about bringing down the government and so on…just stop talking about it because the government now has two-thirds support and it was proven in Parliament,” he said.
Yesterday, Perikatan Nasional (PN) chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan revealed that among the seven conditions in the draft MoU are support for the government until the dissolution of Parliament, declaration of MPs’ assets, and compliance with guidelines against using race, religion and royalty (3R) issues.
Takiyuddin said no allocation amount was stated in the draft, which PN received on August 6.
PN is to decide before the start of the next Parliament sitting next month, he added.
The draft MoU on constituency funds for opposition MPs has been in the works since Fadillah announced it in May.
The government does not typically allocate funds to opposition MPs for their constituencies, instead provides allocations to government lawmakers, leading to an ongoing debate on the fairness of such a decision as it creates an uneven playing field between government and opposition MPs in serving their constituents.
However, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said the opposition is welcome to negotiate for the funds. – September 3, 2024