We’ll study it first, says Hamzah on allocation
PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional welcomes the government’s decision to provide allocations to its MPS and state assemblymen, said Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
However, the Opposition leader said Perikatan will only make a decision on whether to accept it after its leaders are done scrutinising the conditions imposed by Putrajaya.
“Perikatan welcomes the decision made by the government to provide allocation to the people’s representatives from the Opposition.
“Nevertheless, Perikatan as the Opposition will make a decision after reviewing the conditions imposed in the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was prepared by the government,” Hamzah said in a statement yesterday.
On Wednesday, it was reported that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had chaired the unity government secretariat leadership meeting at the Seri Perdana complex to discuss allocations for Opposition representatives.
The 5.30pm meeting was also attended by Deputy Prime Ministers Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu and other leaders in the unity government.
On Apr 6, Hamzah confirmed having received a draft agreement on constituency funds for Opposition MPS from a representative of a “high-ranking individual” but refused to name the person.
Hamzah, who is also Larut MP, said Perikatan is waiting for the government to present an official proposal regarding their allocations of Rm3.8mil a year – the same amount that government MPS receive.
Meanwhile, Fadillah said a MOU will be drafted following the government’s agreement to consider channeling allocations to Opposition members.
He said a meeting of the unity government’s leadership had in principle agreed on the matter.
“A MOU will first be drafted and forwarded to the Opposition in the next step of our negotiations.
“This matter was agreed to during the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim lasting more than an hour,” Fadillah said in a statement.
Previously, Fadillah, who has been tasked with negotiating with the Opposition on its demands for constituency funds, said the decision to meet next Wednesday followed his meeting with Hamzah in Parliament on March 19.