PN claims 7 conditions must be met to receive opposition allocation

BANGI: Perikatan Nasional (PN) revealed today several conditions allegedly imposed by the Unity Government that opposition Members of Parliament must fulfill in order to receive the allocations they have requested.

According to Berita Harian, PN Whip Chief, Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, stated that seven conditions are outlined in the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Opposition Allocations that he received on August 6.

Takiyuddin mentioned that some of the conditions include asset declarations, support for the government until the end of the 15th Parliament term, and issues related to race, religion, and royalty (3R).

“The MoU includes obligations for both the government and the opposition, but the amount intended for the opposition is not specified.

“We also do not understand why opposition MPs are required to declare their assets. Previously, during the former Prime Minister’s tenure, asset declarations were required only from members of the administration, ministers, and deputy ministers.

“This MoU will be in effect until the end of the 15th term, so we have not yet decided whether to accept it or not. What does the allocation have to do with the end of the parliamentary term?” he said.

He made these remarks at a press conference during the State Government 4 (SG4) summit today.

Also present were the Chief Advisory Panel of SG4, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and SG4 Advisor, Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.

Last week, PN Secretary-General, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin, said that PN is currently reviewing the details regarding the conditions that need to be addressed before responding to the MoU concerning opposition MP allocations, which is expected to be replied to before next month’s Parliament session.

Before this, Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, was reported to have said that the government has not yet received feedback from the opposition regarding the MoU.

Further commenting, Takiyuddin, who is also the MP for Kota Bharu, said that PN will discuss and review the MoU draft this month before responding to the Unity Government.

“We find it a bit odd because this MoU is supposed to be for mandatory allocations to the opposition. The opposition members are MPs too.

“The MoU mentions seven principles of public life, hate speech, incitement to hatred concerning issues of race, religion, and royalty.

“So, issues related to the 3R are also included in this MoU for allocating funds,” he said.

Previous MoU Involved Government and Opposition

Previously, the Federal Government led by Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri as Prime Minister signed a MoU on Political Transformation and Stability with Pakatan Harapan (PH) covering six matters, including COVID-19 Empowerment, Administrative Transformation, and Parliamentary Reform.

The other three issues were Judicial Independence, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), and the Formation of a Steering Committee.

The MoU was signed by the Prime Minister along with senior PH leaders, including then-PKR President and Opposition Leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Also signing the MoU were DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng; President of Parti Amanah Negara (AMANAH), Mohamad Sabu; and President of the United Progressive Kinabalu Organization (UPKO), Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau.