Hamzah confirms receiving draft constituency funds agreement
Published on: Saturday, April 06, 2024
By:
FMT, Amin Ishak, Nora Mahpar
Hamzah Zainudin said opposition MPs are waiting for the government to present an official proposal regarding allocations for constituency funds.
Kuala Lumpur: Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin has confirmed receiving a draft agreement on constituency funds for opposition MPs from a representative of a “high-ranking individual”.
However, the Perikatan Nasional and Bersatu secretary-general declined to reveal the name of the individual or details of the draft agreement.
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“I don’t want to cause a controversy as this involves someone of high rank,” he told FMT.
Hamzah, who is also the Larut MP, said PN is waiting for the government to present an official proposal regarding their allocations of RM3.8 million a year – the same amount government MPs receive.
Previously, deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof, who was tasked with negotiating with the opposition on their demands for constituency funds, denied the existence of a draft agreement.
Fadillah, who is also the government’s chief whip in the Dewan Rakyat, said his meeting with Hamzah in Parliament recently was merely a session to hear the opposition’s requests.
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Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal then said the draft was kept under wraps from everyone, including Fadillah.
He also claimed that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had supplied Hamzah a draft agreement on constituency funds through a “representative”.
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However, this was denied by government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil, who said the government had not received “anything substantive” from the opposition.
Fahmi, who is also the communications minister, said opposition MPs who are unhappy about the slow pace of negotiations for constituency funds should seek clarification from Hamzah.
In response, Hamzah told FMT the opposition would not propose any terms to Anwar’s administration for securing equal allocations, adding that it is up to the government to come up with such details.
He said he recently told Fadillah the government needs to present any proposed offer in “black and white”.
He also said the Ismail Sabri Yaakob-led government used this same approach when it signed a memorandum of understanding with Pakatan Harapan in September 2021, during which equal allocation of funds was among the items agreed upon.
“I chaired that committee when the government decided to come up with an agreement with the opposition,” said Hamzah, who was then the home minister.
“I initiated the negotiations by saying, ‘This is the method, if you agree, you can add any conditions that you feel are necessary and can be accepted by both parties’.”
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