KUALA LUMPUR: Allocations that are not directed to the opposition cannot be considered a government strategy to pressure MPs to shift support towards the Unity Government and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
A political analyst from Pusat Perdana Fakulti Razak, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Kuala Lumpur, Dr Mazlan Ali, stated that government allocations for the opposition have never been a practice since Malaysia's independence or enshrined in the constitution. He clarified that any allocation to opposition constituents is typically made through development expenditure under the annual budget.
Mazlan also characterised the four Bersatu MPs who shifted their support to the government as less resilient than the opposition under the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration. He said that these MPs, who were previously part of the government, appear to face difficulties when not provided with allocations, unlike established opposition parties such as Anwar's, PAS, and DAP.
"There is no allocation for the opposition. So, if anyone claims that this is the government's strategy by not providing allocations, that is incorrect because there was no provision for the opposition, except during the administration of the former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri, through the Confidence and Supply Agreement (CSA), which was signed by the government and the opposition," he explained to BH today.
Mazlan responded to claims by certain parties suggesting that the four Bersatu MPs shifted their support due to a lack of government allocation. These MPs include Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), and Zahari Kechik (Jeli).
He suggested that the opposition engage in proper discussions about allocations with the government, as recommended by the Prime Minister earlier.
"The reason used by the MPs who shifted their support was allocation. For me, if these people were loyal and still respected the leader, they would not have simply given support to Anwar, Muhyiddin's enemy (Bersatu President, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin).
"As for giving allocations, it is possible; there is no problem. Allocations are at the discretion of the government, whether at the federal or state level. It doesn't mean that the opposition must get it. This is what some people misunderstand," he said.
Mazlan also observed the situation in Bersatu as a consequence of the party not amending its constitution to align with the Anti-Hopping law, as other parties have done. The Bersatu Constitution does not state that membership will be automatically forfeited if elected representatives support another party without officially joining or declaring their departure.
"When these Bersatu Members of Parliament support the Prime Minister, they change their stance but are still members of Bersatu; their membership does not expire and does not affect the position of the Member of Parliament. This is what encourages more people to support the Prime Minister because there is no issue," he concluded.