YOURSAY | ‘Be reminded the allocation is for the people, not for politicians.’

Ka Siong: Harapan breaking promise to give equal constituency funds

Malaccan: Where is the remorse from BN Ayer Hitam parliamentarian Wee Ka Siong and his colleagues for the financial damage inflicted by his coalition, in which he is a senior leader, on the nation?

If all was well, then there may have been something for Wee to gripe about. But with the financial condition of the nation as it is, after revelations of horrendously poor management to the point of being scandalous or criminal, there are limited resources to share.

Wee seeks to shout platitudes while perched on Pakatan Harapan's moral high ground now, when he should be going around the nation, on his knees, begging forgiveness from the people, especially from his constituents, for being part of the regime that brought the nation to near financial ruin.

As it is, the Harapan government is giving BN MPs an allocation, something Harapan MPs never had from the past BN government.

It is for the running of their service centres et cetera to benefit the people, and if that wasn't enough it is incumbent for BN MPs to justify why they needed more.

Enough money has already been wasted on BN MPs in the past. If allocations are asked for the genuine benefit of constituents, the Harapan government would likely be more than happy to channel more funds to the community. But not to Wee.

BN just cannot be trusted with the people's money anymore. The allocation is not for BN MPs to organise party activities, or to line the pockets of cronies who are the only supporters of BN left at the moment.

Wee, the more you gripe about the things you don't deserve on the pretext it is for the people, the more people will be outraged and disgust will grow for your party and coalition.

You and your party just don't have the track record for good governance. That you dare to demand equality is to abuse the goodwill of the Harapan government, but at least do it in a suitable manner; and get rid of your arrogance and sense of BN entitlement.

Pisang Goreng: Sorry to disagree with some of the other commenters here.

But did we vote for reformasi whereby there would be equal treatment and justice for all (regardless of race/political leaning)? Or did we vote for the winning team to be our friend and our friend only?

The government could have just as easily given equal allocations - matter closed, an impeccable decision, heads held high.

Or they could continue to play an old game, just slightly better than before to make it look like progress (and we know that the standards set by BN were very, very low).

Dawnbreaker: We need progressive policies. Can someone provide credible justification for this allocation?

Let’s take a look at the allocation - either RM500,000 or RM100,000 - by constituency population. Langkawi has approximately a population of 34,000 to 36,000, as such the ratio is around RM13.30 per head.

Petaling Jaya Utara has a population of around 124,000, as such the ratio would be RM4 per head. Pekan, with a population of approximately 89,000, has a ratio of RM1.12 per head.

So how would it even be fair here? The ratios in both Harapan constituencies don't even make sense. Is there any other factor behind this allocation like revenue per state, local council, et cetera?

ChuenTick: Ideally, all constituencies should receive the same allocation - but if one factor in the great disparity in size, then it is time Harapan takes the path not walked.

This may take time as Harapan - if it chooses to do so - fine-tunes the model to be adopted.

Yes, non-BN constituencies were denied development funds by the Umnoputras. But, in the new Malaysia that we hope is developing, we will be magnanimous - so, an RM100,000 fund for opposition constituencies, even for Wee's, should be the starting point only.

Khalid Gibran: It would be better for Harapan to stick to its promise and mandate.

We know that BN treated the opposition badly, even to the extent of detaining DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang and many others under the Internal Security Act, but all is forgiven now.

So we have to start somewhere to teach the people that the opposition is the necessary component in a democracy. So please give them equal allocations.

Nazri to Harapan gov't: Thanks for the RM100k, but...

New Horizon: Actually, we should commend BN Padang Rengas parliamentarian Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz for his good suggestion.

Perhaps the allocation can be handed over to the district office to fund projects for the benefit of the people.

What is perhaps left unsaid by Nazri is that if given to people with suspect DNA, the money might not reach the rakyat for who it is intended.

Wira: Nazri, elected MPs are expected to do some work. At least now you have some allocation, which your government denied to the opposition before.

If you cannot handle even RM100,000 annually, just resign if you don’t want to be troubled with work as an opposition MP. Please learn to be an opposition member.

Dr Suresh Kumar: Why is the allocation for the opposition much less than the allocation for the ruling party MPs? Didn’t the former Umno regime discriminate against the then-opposition in a similar manner?

Be reminded the allocation is for the people, not for politicians, regardless of which party a particular constituency voted for. Harapan should not be vindictive as the one who will suffer ultimately is the rakyat.

Anonymous: If you are taking a salary as an MP, you have to do your job and serve the people.

The allocation is for the rakyat, you must use the allocation transparently. All allocations used must be audited and recorded.

Kit P: The MPs' constituency allocations, if managed properly, can be effective channels for small but impactful projects which can improve the living environment for people in the area.

The alternative of getting such small projects and the budget approved through the normal government procurement channels is ponderous and time-consuming.

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