MELAKA: Pakatan Harapan (PH) is committed to continuing the provision of allocations to opposition state assemblymen should it return to govern Melaka, a practice introduced when the coalition led the state government in 2018.
Melaka PH chairman Adly Zahari said the allocations should be maintained to ensure all elected representatives had sufficient financial resources to carry out their duties and serve their communities.
The former Melaka Chief Minister noted that when PH governed the state in 2018, it became the first state administration to provide allocations to opposition assemblymen.
“Based on my own experience as an opposition member, the absence of such allocations makes it difficult for assembly members to manage their service centres and assist the community in their respective constituencies.
“If you are an assemblyman and receive absolutely no allocation, it becomes extremely challenging. At the very least, the fundamental requirement is an allocation for the operation of a service centre,” he told reporters here yesterday.
Adly said that although funds were channelled through district offices and government agencies, financial resources provided by the state government to opposition assemblymen were essential for distributing various forms of assistance to the public.
On reforming the state government’s administration, the PH candidate for the Bukit Katil state constituency said he intended to expand digitalisation initiatives, including through a ‘Smart Melaka’ system that would serve as a platform for the public to submit requests for assistance and lodge complaints.
He explained that the system aimed to ensure that aid distribution and the resolution of public issues were carried out more transparently and free from political influence.
“Under this approach, every request for assistance or complaint received by an elected representative will be recorded in the system before being forwarded to the relevant agencies for further action; the final decision on approval or the resolution of the issue will then be made by the respective agencies.
“The implementation of this digitalisation system also allows the public to track the status of their complaints, such as those concerning infrastructure issues like clogged drains or fallen trees, while indirectly enabling the government to monitor the actions taken,” he said.
Regarding the Bukit Katil constituency, Adly said 255 complaints had been received from residents since the end of last year, of which 231 had been resolved.
He added that 101 of the complaints involved drainage and infrastructure issues, while more than 80 others concerned welfare matters, including the provision of medical equipment and assistance for children undergoing medical treatment.
Adly faces a four-cornered contest for the Bukit Katil state seat, with challengers Muhammad Ridzuan Mohd Sarif (Perikatan Nasional), Dr Aliza Che Amran (Parti Bersama Malaysia) and Abu Bakar Sabudin (Independent).
In the previous state election, he won the seat with a majority of 1,057 votes.
The Election Commission has set Nov 14 as polling day for the 16th Melaka state election, with early voting scheduled for Nov 10.
