No need for special funds as opposition reps get the same allocation, MB tells Perak assembly

IPOH: The Perak government does not plan to allocate special funds for opposition assemblymen as the existing allocation of RM300,000 has already been provided to all constituencies, says Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.

The Mentri Besar said that the allocations provided for in the budget are managed by several entities, such as the State Secretary’s Office, Perak State Finance Office, district and land offices, local authorities, and the Mentri Besar’s Office.

He said allocations approved through his office are managed by government assemblymen in their respective areas, while those for opposition constituencies are managed by special officers appointed by the Mentri Besar.

“An assemblyman cannot approve the allocation themselves.

“For example, if a school’s parent-teacher association requests chairs or tables, the relevant government assemblyman will write to the State Economic Planning Unit (Upen) on behalf of the Mentri Besar.

“If Upen deems that the request meets the criteria, it will be approved.

“If a government assemblyman requests funds for, say, the repair of an Umno office, it will not be approved because it misuses aid for political purposes.

“That allocation is RM300,000 for government assemblymen. For my friends in the opposition, the allocation of which is managed by the Mentri Besar’s special officers, the value is the same, and the process is the same,” he told Mohd Akmal Kamarudin (PN-Selama) during the state assembly sitting here on Monday (Dec 1).

Akmal wanted to know if the state government would allocate a special provision for members of the opposition bloc for community welfare programmes such as festive assistance, back-to-school aid, food boxes, and other contributions similar to what is received by government assemblymen.

Saarani said opposition representatives need not worry about the distribution of the allocation, as all application and approval procedures are the same – only the individuals managing them differ.

He added that the state government has announced an equal monthly allocation of RM10,000 to all assemblymen’s service centres, regardless of whether they are government or opposition.

Saarani said RM7,000 of this amount is for managing the service centre, while the remaining RM3,000 could be used for other matters such as contributions to constituents.

“The state government strives to be fair to all service centres, but the disbursement of the allocation depends on the respective assemblymen to manage it so that it reaches the people,” he said.