Pas fund diversion claim not true, says Azmin
KUALA LUMPUR: The PKR-led Selangor government yesterday brushed aside as “untrue” claims that it had diverted funds meant for 15 Pas assemblymen to other parties.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali said this in a short text reply to queries from the New Straits Times on the issue.
He said it was an “unfounded allegat i o n” w h e n a s ke d whether there was any basis to the claim.
Azmin, who is also PKR deputy president, declined to elaborate on the issue.
In an exclusive report in the NST yesterday, sources in the opposition pact claimed that state funds meant for Pas assemblymen in Selangor had been diverted to PKR members.
In the report, a source said RM800,000 from the state gov- ernment for Selangor Pas assemblymen had been channelled to PKR members, who are appointed as coordinators in Pas-held seats.
The source also said members of parliament and state assemblymen from DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara received their allocations from Thursday.
Last month, Selangor Pas commissioner Sallehen Mukhyi raised eyebrows when he reportedly said the PKR-led state government had frozen allocations for Pas elected representatives and that he was informed of this by the state economic planning unit.
However, Azmin denied the allegation and said it was a “technical problem”.
Selangor PKR deputy chief Zuraida Kamaruddin said it would take ab out two months to streamline the disbursement processes between year-end and the new year.
“This allegation is very unlikely to be true. I also understand that allocations for PKR have not been cleared,” she said.
Pas Taman Templer assemblyman Zaidy Abdul Talib said assemblymen were expected to submit applications for expenses and claims during this period.
He said the claims would be submitted to the Land Office in their constituencies.
“We have not received notices that funds for Selangor Pas representatives had been diverted. As far as we are concerned, Pas is still part of the state government and we do not see any problem in receiving the allocations,” he said.
Zaidy said the allocations should be disbursed the latest by the end of this month.
He said the payment would depend on when the application for expenses and claims had been submitted.