Negotiate allocations together, not separately, opposition told

July 10, 2024

Negotiate allocations together, not separately, opposition told

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today said MPs from the opposition should not negotiate their constituency allocations separately.

Anwar said the opposition should instead follow the same negotiation process as before, where clear parameters are set from the beginning.

“It’s not that difficult. I believe this issue arises from a less-than-positive attitude. I was also the opposition leader once, and at that time, the opposition was stronger,” he told the Dewan Rakyat during Prime Minister’s Question Time today.

“There was no hesitation in meeting the (then) prime minister (Ismail Sabri Yaakob) at the Prime Minister’s Office to discuss the allocations.

“Back then, we even had a team of five from the opposition and five from the government.”

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Anwar was responding to Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muda-Muar) who requested advice on how to proceed with allocation talks after multiple attempts with deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof.

Syed Saddiq said he had met with Fadillah twice in person on his own and sent three letters, but was told that the allocations needed the approval of the Cabinet and the prime minister.

Fadillah previously said a memorandum of understanding about the allocations was being finalised. Once ready, copies will be distributed to all political parties for review, he said.

Earlier in the Dewan Rakyat, Anwar took a jab at Syed Saddiq who recently ran 200km from Muar to the Parliament building to raise funds for his constituency.

“There’s no need to run or jog, no need. Just negotiate, it will be settled once there are discussions,” he said.

Anwar added that the negotiation process was straightforward and should not be complicated.

“Set a date and negotiate as this is the normal condition in any democratic country. If we cannot come to an agreement on something, we can backtrack and reconsider.”

He also said that he had repeatedly expressed the government’s readiness to provide allocations for opposition MPs.

“The opposition, starting from the party leaders and its representatives, should appoint representatives to discuss matters with the deputy prime minister (Fadillah).”