YB Nurul Izzah on whether Pakatan Rakyat’s Members of Parliament should receive allocations to service their constituencies.
YB Nurul Izzah on whether Pakatan Rakyat’s Members of Parliament should receive allocations to service their constituencies.
The expected traditional role of an Federal Territory MP covers not only parliamentary duties but also patronage related activities -mainly linked to welfare distribution to constituents/ institutions/ organizations within his/her constituency.
Ideally, an MP should focus on raising pertinent local and national issues at the parliamentary level, whilst being supported by assembly persons and an elected local government adept at servicing the constituents’ needs.
But Federal Territory MPs do not have state assembly persons. Additionally, they are mostly at the mercy of the federal appointed Mayor and City Hall officers who decide matters most sacred to KL, Labuan and Putrajaya -issues of licensing, enforcement and servicing.
Hence, regardless of who gets the allocations, what matters most is accountability. Each RM must be spent fairly and efficiently, with the Federal Territory rakyat in mind.
For now, with DBKL fully deciding on how the RM 2.12 bn is being spent for this year, the Pakatan Rakyat Kuala Lumpur MPs are working around , creatively and exhaustively, without any say on how the money is spent, and without access to the RM 1 million that goes directly to the party in power.
In conclusion, the allocation need not be passed through us, but it must be made accountable and transparent to the rakyat. That’s the issue, and that’s what you should raise.
Thanks
Izzah
YB, I am sure most people will agree with you on this, except those who are used to using connections to get contracts.
FT KL is surely a big anomaly with 10 out of 11 MPs under Pakatan, yet being bullied by DBKL under a Mayor appointed by BN. It would be shameful to call this a democracy, where the representatives elected by the people have no say in the administration.
–comment deleted and marked as mature–
Dear Few Pakatan Rakyat Elected Representative (You Know Who You Are) Yang Berhormats,
I am writing this to vent my frustration, irritation, disgust, disbelief and anger on how many of you are acting recently. It
is with the sincerest and most honest intention that I am writing this, as a Pakatan grassroots ’small fry’ member who, like
millions of other Malaysians, came out in full force to support you all when you were practically nobodies and put you
where you are today, sitting in the highest decision-making bodies in your own states and country respectively.
Emmanuel Joseph,
(A Nearly Nameless,Faceless,Positionless Pakatan Member) DAP Socialist Youth, Klang.
Some of you were luckier than others, and been appointed to important government posts. Some even head entire state
governments. Congratulations. Your long wait and tireless efforts paid off. But please do kindly remember, it was not only
your efforts alone, but the efforts and will of more than half the Malaysian electorate that put you where you are. You did
not win entirely on your own charm, your education level, your profile in your respective fields of expertise or struggle.
Frankly, most Malaysians who supported you did not even care who you were or what you did, as long as you were not
donning a dark blue cap with a BN logo on it. That is the reason we had aircraft mechanics voted into power in the last
General Election.
The next time any of you decide to foam in the mouth about lack of funding, lack of resources and other similar grouses,
please bear in mind these few facts. Firstly, you stood for the election on your own free will. Nobody put a gun on your
foreheads asking you to run for elections, nobody begged you to contest. Out of your own reasons, rightly or wrongly, you
stood representing the people. And because of that, the people rallied behind you and riding on this, you were
catapulted into where you now are.
Secondly, others have had far less than you, suffered much more than you and been doing it for far longer. Take a look
at the likes of YB Dr Tan Seng Giaw, YB Fong Kui Loon, YB Dr Wan Azizah, YB Mustafa Ali, YB Nasharuddin Mat Isa and
many more. What more YBs Karpal, Kit Siang and Nik Aziz? Who was there to fund them? Who supported their families
when some of them were thrown into ISA? Most of you are only first term Yang Berhormats, so why can’t you sacrifice
less than 5 years of your life if you are sincere in your cause?
Thirdly, regardless of your previous political alignment, you are with Pakatan now. It is the people’s alliance, not a
cronies’ alliance. If money, resources and luxurious allowances are what you crave, then you have the wrong party …
maybe even the wrong country. And if you were in it for those express reasons, please do the honorable thing and
resign.
Dear Yang Berhormats,
The next time you decide to shoot from the hip about party policy, please bear in mind these few facts. Firstly, you are
not Pakatan Rakyat, you are a part of Pakatan Rakyat. The policy of Pakatan Rakyat is not your sole prerogative, nor is it
yours, your father’s or your grandfather’s to decide. There is a hierarchy in place and it is there for a reason. You are a
single member of Pakatan Rakyat and, as an elected rep, have the trust of the nameless, faceless, positionless Pakatan
grassroots to speak on its behalf in explaining the policy to the people, not deciding on the policy for the people.
Secondly, your opinions, however valid you perceive them to be, and your points, however salient you believe them to
be, remains just that, yours. Not the party’s, not the alliances’ and hell, no, not the peoples’! If it is your own opinion, by
all means say so. Please don’t confuse everyone by muddling and befuddling everything and everyone and turning what
is clearly black and white into a giant grey mess.
Thirdly, please remember that the media loves to give you attention even more than you love the attention it gives you.
Especially when you shoot yourself in the foot. While you’re busy shooting your own feet, the media is amputating the
very feet Pakatan stands on, no thanks to the likes of you. If you don’t like what Pakatan stands for, then by all means, do
resign.
The next time you decide to bring out your personal vendetta against any Pakatan colleague due to a long standing
feud, a dissatisfaction over your appointments or that of your political followers or just because you just don’t like the
guy’s face, please try doing these steps instead: first, try talking to the person. Nothing clears the air like a good honest
conversation. Second muhasabahlah diri . You are nothing near perfect, yet we still voted you in. Isn’t that nice?
Shouldn’t you then be nice to your comrades? Third, remember that every action has a reaction. Call it a law of physics,
or political karma, it will come back to haunt you one day! If you feel you are still right and Pakatan is wrong, then don’t
demand that Pakatan withdraw! Your own withdrawal from office will more than suffice.
Dear Yang Berhormats,
Please remember, the people who voted you in can as easily vote you out. The people who worked hard to ensure your
victory can work as hard with a vengeance to ensure your loss. You carry the aspirations of an entire generation on your
shoulders. Please do not snuff out our dreams for a better Malaysia. There are enough elements out there that want
Pakatan destroyed, so internal self-destruction is the last thing needed right now. And if you believe you don’t need the
Malaysian electorate, then, rest assured, the Malaysian electorate needs you even less. Thank you, and have a pleasant
(remaining) time in political
office.