KUANTAN: Pahang Perikatan Nasional (PN) assemblymen have urged Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail to come clean on his statement that the state government had already disbursed allocations to all opposition elected representatives.
Pahang Pas commissioner, Rosli Abdul Jabar, described Wan Rosdy's statement as incomplete and for causing confusion among the public.
He added that it had given an impression that the opposition lawmakers had received equal allocations like their government counterparts.
"I want to explain that the RM30,000 allocation by the Pahang government annually for development projects at opposition constituencies is handled by the district office and not directly channelled to us.
We (assemblymen) only determine the type and project locations...the allocation was (disbursed) prior to the Pelangai by-election last year.
"Secondly, the RM5,000 Ramadan aid for the people is channelled through all the opposition assemblymen and we (assemblymen) have to submit all our expense receipts throughout Ramadan to the state government for them to examine. This began last year.
"The menteri besar's recent statement that the assemblymen's n allocation has been given to elected representatives will only create a misunderstanding between the assemblymen (opposition) and their constituents.
"It gives the impression that the assemblymen did not channel the aid to the people when the truth is there was no allocation given to us," he said in a statement today (April 2).
Yesterday, Wan Rosdy said that Pahang had provided allocations to opposition elected representatives.
He was responding to Pahang Pas Youth chief Mohd Zarimi Abu Zih who urged Wan Rosdy to heed the decree by the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, for the state government to provide fair allocations to the opposition assemblymen.
Last year, the Regent of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah in his royal address when opening the Pahang State Legislative Assembly, said the opposition elected representatives should also be celebrated as they were chosen by the people and fair allocations should also be given to them.
Pahang PN lawmakers had expressed hope the Pahang government would turn talks about the allocation into a reality.
However, Wan Rosdy had then responded saying the Pahang government had never neglected the welfare of all the state's people, including those from opposition areas.
He said aid would be disbursed either through the Menteri Besar's office, the state assemblyman's office, constituency coordinator or the district office.
Meanwhile, Pahang Pas deputy commissioner and Beserah assemblyman Andansura Rabu said Wan Rosdy should not confuse the people by claiming allocations had been disbursed to opposition assemblymen and instead should reveal the truth.
"Opposition assemblymen did not receive any allocations from the state government like the other assemblymen to serve the people.
"Do not confuse the people by claiming that allocations have been disbursed to us," he said.
Pahang Bersatu deputy chairman Mohd Yazid Mohd Yunus, who is also Lepar assemblyman, said the opposition lawmakers did not receive any allocation but the funds were provided directly to the district office.
"The state government provides RM30,000 annually for development projects (in the constituency) but nothing was channelled to us. The menteri besar must clarify his statement on allocations as people will have a wrong impression towards opposition assemblymen," he said.