KUALA LUMPUR – The opposition must negotiate for constituency allocations as a united front, and not individually, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told the Dewan Rakyat.
He also took a swipe at Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who recently completed a 200-km “protest run” to oppose the halting of such funds to his constituency after he withdrew support for Anwar’s government.
“There’s no need to run or to jog around. Just come and negotiate. Do this, and it’s done,” Anwar said during Prime Minister’s Questions today when answering a supplementary question from Datuk Awang Hashim (Pendang-PN) on constituency funding.
Anwar’s jibe at the former Muda president prompted Syed Saddiq to interject and explain that he had met Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof in person twice last year, and sent letters three times to request constituency funds for Muar.
This was then rebutted by Anwar, who said the opposition must be united in appointing a representative to lead the negotiation for allocations.
“Don’t come and negotiate individually. Come and talk to us. Why should the process be so complicated? Set a date, come and negotiate.
“The opposition should send their (opposition) leader, party representatives to discuss with the deputy prime minister who has been appointed for these negotiations,” Anwar said.
Syed Saddiq completed his three-day run on July 1, raising over RM160,000 in funds for his constituency while decrying the lack of funds given to opposition constituencies as an injustice.
Anwar (Tambun-PH) today reiterated there was no condition placed on MPs needing constituency funds to first declare their support for him.
“I have said this repeatedly, despite continued attacks over claims that we (the government) do not give equal allocation to MPs.
“In any democratic country, there are processes for the opposition to get their allocation and this is via discussion and negotiation processes.
“I have given the mandate to the deputy prime minister II (Fadillah) to hold discussions, and there never was any condition that says you have to support the prime minister to get the allocation.
“There was never such a condition. When we were the opposition, when Bera (Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob) was the prime minister, we held discussions to resolve issues.” – July 9, 2024