Arau MP Shahidan Kassim has called on the government not to overlook opposition constituencies in its development projects.
PETALING JAYA: PAS leader Shahidan Kassim has claimed he has already held four discussions with deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof over allocations for opposition MPs.
“I have personally met (Fadillah) many times on various matters, during which I also raised the topic of allocations for MPs.
“I have officially met with him four times,” he said in an episode of the YB Apa Cerrr podcast.
“We are all friends, even though they are in the government.”
Shahidan, who is the Arau MP, said meetings between the opposition and government representatives concerning these allocations had also been held twice, involving the chief whips from both sides.
“The third meeting was supposed to take place yesterday. But it didn’t happen, I don’t know why,” he said.
Shahidan called on the government not to overlook opposition constituencies in its development projects.
In September last year, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said opposition MPs must negotiate with the federal government if they wanted to receive parliamentary allocations.
Anwar told opposition MPs to learn from how Pakatan Harapan MPs behaved when they were in the opposition, in response to claims that opposition MPs had not been given any allocations.
Fadillah subsequently said the opposition had not submitted a request for allocations, despite the government’s invitation.
On Nov 3 last year, Perikatan Nasional chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan said the coalition did not continue negotiations with Fadillah as the government had requested that PN formally request the allocations and provide certain assurances.
However, the Kota Bharu MP did not specify these assurances or promises sought by the government.Stay current – Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram
Since then, six Bersatu MPs have declared their support for the prime minister to obtain development allocations for their constituencies.
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