LETTER | Equal allocation: Where is the reformasi?

LETTER | It seems that people have been confused for decades under rhetoric such as reformasi, Malaysian Family and Malaysia Madani.

This comes after four Bersatu MPs pledged support for the unity government.

The Parliament was said to have made constitutional amendments on July 28, 2022 - to prevent party hopping by MPs.

To implement the change, the government then received bipartisan support from both Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan MPs.

Back to the four “defections”, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he and his cabinet were not responsible for it but he "welcomes the maturity" of these MPs.

Transparency International Malaysia recalls the Kita Boleh Manifesto 2022, where Harapan pledged, “to provide equal constituency development funds (CDF) for MPs regardless of party because they represent the interests of voters in their constituencies.

“This allocation must be relayed through the Parliament and not the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)”.

What has become of this pledge and the struggle of the parties in the unity government, throughout their time in the opposition, on the issue of equal allocation?

Is this new form of “defection” and the only way opposition MPs can seek equal funds for the rakyat in their constituency?

The paradox of “being loyal to their political party” while voting in favour of bills proposed by the ruling government against the wishes of their party will continue to be played out in the coming days.

This may upset the people further, who will wonder how integrity can be factored into such conduct.

TI-M believes the nation’s elected representatives can do better and the nation deserves better.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.