S'gor state govt will channel unused funds allocated to opposition assemblymen to coordinators

SHAH ALAM: The state government will channel unused funds allocated to opposition assemblymen to coordinators at their respective constituencies.
Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali (pix) (PKR-Bukit Antarabangsa) said this is so that the money can be spent for the people as originally intended.
"The state executive council has decided that if the opposition refuse to spend the remaining money, then we will discuss on ways to channel the money to the constituency coordinators," Azmin told the state assembly today.
He said a portion of the RM200,000 allocated to each opposition representative was spent to maintain their service centres and to pay staff.
Azmin also noted that only the legislative assemblies in Selangor and Penang allocate funds to their opposition assemblymen. Opposition MPs in Parliament receive none.
Azmin said in his budget wrap up speech that opposition assemblymen have only been using RM6,000 per month for their service centres while the rest remains untouched.
He called on opposition representatives' selfish as they have previously rejected the allocations and only took money to fund their service centres.
Selangor BN, however, argued that the RM6,000 per month for service centres and staff were allocated to all assemblymen and they were only spending what they have been entitled to.
The funds for opposition representatives started in Budget 2015 as an effort to create a more democratic space in the Selangor legislative assembly, which also includes having the opposition leader chair the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Selangor BN spurned the allocation as it is far less than the RM700,000 allocated to government assemblymen, while those in the opposition receive RM200,000 and an additional RM500,000 to government-linked constituency coordinators.
Opposition assemblymen similarly rejected the PAC chairman-ship, arguing that it is meaningless as the number of government representatives in the PAC outnumber opposition representatives.