KUALA LUMPUR: A Perikatan Nasional (PN) leader today described the move to reduce the development allowance for members of Parliament (MPs) as 'punishment and an act of revenge' towards the opposition.

Its chief whip Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should prioritise the people's interest instead of trying to 'punish' the opposition.

"PN hopes the Federal government, especially the prime minister who is also the finance minister, will prioritise the people's interest and reduce elements such as abuse and revenge against the opposition who received the people's mandate through democracy.

"Although the government is said to take measures in controlling the finances aligned with the country's economic position and constraints, the development allocation for the MPs that benefits the people should not be affected nor even reduced," he said in a statement today.

Takiyuddin also urged the PM to give assurance that the development allowance would be channeled to all MPs nationwide and across the political divide like the previous administration.

"Previously, the allocation was channeled directly to the MPs service centres through the Prime Minister's Department's Coordination and Implementation Unit.

"This assurance is important because it is also in line with the promise made by Pakatan Harapan (PH) during the 15th General Election (GE15).

"The equal allocation for constituencies by PH was said to provide the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) equally to all elected MPs regardless of party because they represent the interests of the people.

"It also said that fund allocations also need to be channeled through Parliament instead of the Prime Minister's Office," he said.

On Friday, Anwar confirmed that the development allowance for MPs has been reduced to RM1.3 million from RM3.8 million.

Anwar said this move was meant to better control the country's finances and would be implemented in stages.

He said this involved the development allocations of MPs coordinated by the District and Land Office, and State Development officer.

The announcement also saw dissatisfaction from MPs across the political divide.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2023/02/876502/takiyuddin-questions-anwars-move-reduce-development-allowance-mps