KUALA LUMPUR: The Democratic Action Party (DAP) has reaffirmed its commitment to Pakatan Harapan’s election pledge to secure equal Constituency Development Funds (CDF) for all Members of Parliament, calling on the Prime Minister to deliver on the manifesto commitment without delay.
In a statement today, DAP national chairman Gobind Singh Deo said the ruling coalition’s election manifesto explicitly commits to providing equal development allocations to all MPs across the board.
“We have conveyed this to the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) numerous times, and we hope he takes the necessary steps to implement this as soon as possible,” Gobind said in the statement.
“Pakatan Harapan’s election manifesto expressly commits to providing equal development allocations to all MPs across the board. This is based on the principle that withholding equal funding undermines the democratic mandate of elected representatives and that voters in any constituency should not be placed at a disadvantage merely because of their political choices or affiliations.
“I commend the Prime Minister for announcing additional direct funds to each parliamentary constituency last week. While this will indeed be most helpful, it does not resolve the core issue, which is the commitment to providing equal, non-discriminatory allocations to every MP.”
To ensure long-term fairness, DAP is calling for formal legislation to institutionalise equal CDF allocations.
“Passing legislation to institutionalise equal CDF allocations will remove political discretion from the process, ensure transparency and permanently protect the rights of all voters nationwide,” Gobind said.
“I therefore urge the Prime Minister to address the delay and move forward with first providing all MPs with equal allocations, and subsequently enacting legislation that permanently secures equal constituency allocations for every MP in Malaysia.”
This call by Gobind came a day after the Damansara MP and Digital Minister said progress on institutional reforms remained necessary if PH was to demonstrate that its participation in government was delivering meaningful change.
In a statement yesterday, Gobind urged Anwar to take immediate action to realise reforms long championed by PH.
These include speeding up legislation to separate the roles of the Attorney-General and Public Prosecutor, limiting the prime minister’s tenure to two terms, and amending the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act and the Peaceful Assembly Act.
“The groundwork for these changes has already been laid,” Gobind said, adding that the government should consider a special parliamentary session or additional sitting days to ensure the bills are passed before the end of the year.
