By G Vinod FRI, 02 JUL 2010 10:54

KUALA LUMPUR: Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar expressed her disappointment over Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s announcement that only Barisan Nasional lawmakers will get an increase in their allocations.

The BN Backbenchers Club chairman Bung Moktar Radin today announced that BN lawmakers will receive RM1.5 million in allocations this year, compared with the previous RM1 million.

“It is highly irresponsible of the premier to do such a thing,”she said.

“The prime minister should be fair to all lawmakers as the the fund belongs to the taxpayers.”

Nurul Izzah added this is another way for Najib to placate his members in the ruling coalition.

She also queried whether the additional funds will be used on their respective constituencies.

“Right now, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is investigating on how we spend our allowances but the MACC is pussyfooting when it comes to BN lawmakers,” Nurul Izzah said.

Meanwhile, Kapar MP S Manickavasagam said Najib’s move is unconstitutional.

“Both BN and Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers are elected by the people. So why discriminate?” he asked.

He also spoke of the woes suffered by Pakatan MPs.

“I have not received any allocation from the federal government for the past two years. Other Pakatan lawmakers are facing the same problem.”

“Fortunately, the Selangor government gives me some funds but it is not enough. I even have to use my own money to serve my constituents,” he said.

He added that if the prime minister is really a person who puts the people’s interest first, he should allocate funds to all lawmakers irrespective of their political affiliations.

“In the end, it is the people who will be getting the benefit,” he said.

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