Agreement reached on opposition allocation

Unity Government agrees in principle to consider providing financial allocations to opposition MPs

The Unity Government Secretariat Supreme Leadership Council has agreed in principle to consider extending allocations to elected representatives from the opposition, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

Fadillah, who is also Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said a dra Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be drawn up and extended to the opposition for further discussions.

“The agreement was reached at the council’s meeting held at Sri Perdana in Putrajaya on Wednesday.

“The meeting, which lasted for more than an hour, was chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and a ended by top leaders of component parties in the Unity Government,” Fadillah, who is Unity Government chief whip, said in a statement yesterday.

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said in a brief statement that he welcomed the government’s decision to allocate funds to Perikatan Nasional (PN) lawmakers.

However, he said PN will decide on the ma er a er perusing the terms in the dra MoU being prepared by the government.

Meanwhile, DAP parliament chief whip Nga Kor Ming said the allocations that the government has agreed to consider extending to elected representatives from the opposition are subject to terms and conditions.

Nga, who is also Housing and Local Government Minister, said the terms and conditions have yet to be discussed with the opposition.

The agreement was reached at the council’s meeting held at Sri Perdana in Putrajaya on Wednesday.

Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof

“The allocations will come with terms and conditions which will be discussed,” he told a press conference.

Earlier this week, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Ibrahim Tuan Man said equal allocation for MPs across the board would not only help produce a constructive opposition in Parliament, but also encourage greater democracy in the country.

He said doing so would reflect the reforms promised by Anwar’s Unity Government.

“The opposition was also chosen and voted by the people (in the 15th general election). The government should therefore respect the choice of the people by disbursing the allocation to opposition MPs,” he said at the time.