SHAH ALAM - "If you ask me, I'm not surprised because once you withdraw support from the government, of course, the government will shut you down, but it's a normal thing,” says former Bertam assemblyman Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq.
The Bersatu politician was responding that the allocation for the Muar parliamentary constituency had been withdrawn by the government after its MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman's decision to no longer support the unity government.
It was reported that the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance's (Muda) president has claimed that the action was taken immediately after his decision to no longer support the government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and to exit the government bloc.
"I received confirmation from the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) of the Prime Minister's Department that as soon as I joined this block, the allocation was withdrawn," Syed Saddiq told the Dewan Rakyat on Sept 19.
Prior to this, Khaliq shared his experience, claiming that the allocation for his constituency had been terminated in 2021.
"It's the same thing that happened to me back in 2021, when Bersatu dropped from the government.
"At the state level, the government withdrew my allocations. It's normal, but it should not happen.
"If you're asking me, the MP should get the allocations because it's for the rakyat and it must be given,” he told Sinar Daily.
He further expressed his view that if the MP is relying on their monthly allowance, this should not be enough because a lot of MPs are full-time politicians who serve the rakyat, and it’s unfair to not give allocations.
"If you ask me, I'm not surprised because once you withdraw support from the government, of course, the government will shut you down, but it's a normal thing. I’m not surprised, but I pity Syed Saddiq,” he said.
Several months ago, during the PH's political campaigns, Khaliq added that their central focus revolved around eliminating issues like kleptocracy, power misuse, and abuse of authority.
"However, the current situation has raised eyebrows as PH members are now part of a government that includes individuals accused of misusing their power.
"This turn of events has elicited a strong response from some quarters who consider it inconsistent with the promises made during the campaigns,” he added.
Meanwhile, Perikatan Nasional (PN) Youth deputy chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad also gave his simple comment on this issue, claiming that it could be true since the Muar MP was already in opposition.
"I don't know. It could be true since he is already in opposition,” Fayshsal said briefly.
Sinar Daily also got in touch with experts about their thoughts on the matter.
Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) political analyst, Dr Abdul Aziz Azizam, expressed that this practice was considered less than ideal within the context of democracy in this nation.
"I am sure this is one of the consequences that Syed Saddiq himself is aware of when he is no longer part of the government bloc.
"Essentially, when Saddiq no longer represents the government's aspirations and ideas, logically, allocations for his initiatives may be discontinued,” he added.
However, Aziz further stressed that allocations should be distributed equitably to all parliamentary constituencies based on the needs of the population.
Besides, he added that it constitutes one of the governance principles that the present government ought to address.
"Allocations, assistance, and initiatives are for the benefit of the entire population, and the government should administer not just the areas won by the ruling party but the entirety of Malaysia,” Aziz said.