Wan Azizah: We won’t discriminate against Opposition-led states

SHAH ALAM: The Deputy Prime Minister has assured Opposition-led states that they will receive federal village development funds but the money will not be disbursed through political conduits.

Clarifying a statement from a federal minister who has since come under criticism, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the funds would be channelled to the state development offices.

“The Cabinet has actually deliberated on it and we said Opposition states will also get it but not through division leaders (of parties) or political appointees.

“It has to go through the state development offices,” Dr Wan Azizah said at Institut Darul Ehsan’s Hari Raya open house here yesterday.

The Opposition-led states, she said, would not be discriminated against.

Dr Wan Azizah claimed that during Barisan Nasional’s administration, the then Opposition states of Penang and Selangor had not received development allocations, which were granted through Umno division chiefs.

Rural and Regional Development Minister Rina Harun had said that the Federal Government’s RM100mil village development allocations would only be disbursed to Pakatan Harapan states for the time being.

The statement drew flak from PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad who said the move was discriminatory and contradictory of Pakatan’s policy, adding the new Government must represent all political divides in the country.

Dr Wan Azizah also called on Pakatan to shed the Opposition mindset and move on to fulfil public expectations.

“After winning the election and becoming the new Government, mindsets must also change. It is incumbent on us and our responsibility to correct what we used to complain about before (as the Opposition),” she said.