Anwar: No constituencies sidelined in development allocations

KUALA LUMPUR: No parliamentary constituency has been sidelined in development allocations, with the government prioritising the needs of the people, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said the cabinet had decided that all constituencies, including those held by the opposition, must receive due consideration.

Citing Terengganu as an example, Anwar said the state's federal allocation would increase from RM6 billion under the previous administration to RM8.2 billion in 2027 under the Madani government.

"Under the previous administration, when your party was in power, the total federal allocation for Terengganu was RM6 billion.

"Under the Madani government, we are increasing that allocation to RM8.2 billion. What kind of discrimination is this, when you keep describing it as oppressive?

"What oppression are you talking about? We have increased the allocation for a state where 100 per cent of the support is for the opposition. That is an extraordinary form of 'oppression'.

"Was there a reduction in allocations? No. In fact, they have increased," he said in reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh (PN-Besut).

Che Zulkifly had asked why allocations for opposition-held constituencies were channelled directly by the government through district offices or other channels, and whether this resulted in unequal treatment.

Anwar said based on the record, no one has been sidelined, whether at the parliamentary constituency or state level.

"The question raised is why the allocations are not channelled through MPs, to which I have answered that the allocations are channelled to the respective parliamentary constituencies.

"The funds allocated for the Besut parliamentary constituency are meant for Besut," he said, adding that projects were based on local needs and subject to approval by the state government and relevant ministries.

Responding to claims that opposition-held constituencies had been sidelined, Anwar questioned whether their residents or the constituencies themselves had been neglected.

"Are the people being sidelined? Are these constituencies being sidelined? Must every project be channelled through MPs? No.

"Even in constituencies represented by government parties, development allocations are not necessarily channelled through MPs. MPs may endorse projects, but development funds are not given directly to them," he said.

Anwar said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof had been tasked with leading negotiations on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on allocations for opposition MPs.

"I have said that if it is signed today, I will approve it the next day. If they do not want to negotiate, that is not my problem," he said.