KEPALA BATAS: Penang Perikatan Nasional (PN) elected representatives have voiced concern over the unfairness happening within the state government.
They singled out Deputy Chief Minister I Prof Datuk Dr Mohammad Abdul Hamid, whom they claimed to be arrogant, when facing the opposition assemblymen.
State opposition leader Muhammad Fauzi Yusof said numerous requests made by the opposition elected representatives to meet Mohammad had been met with silence.
"To compound matters, he (Mohammad) is also 'bullying' the rakyat in constituencies held by the 11 opposition elected representatives by denying the poor the zakat assistance.
"When we asked Penang Zakat for an explanation, they could not answer us. We were told there was an instruction from Mohammad."
Fauzi urged Mohammad, who is the state Islamic Affairs Committee chairman, not to politicise assistance for the poor and not to use Penang Zakat as bait to fish for Malay votes.
"Zakat is not only paid by rakyat in the unity government held state constituencies but those in the opposition as well. Let me remind Mohammad that the majority of the Malay people voted for PN in the 15th general election.
"We are giving him a chance to change his ways or we may resort to other actions," he told newsmen at the Pas base in Pongsu Seribu here today.
Present were some of the 11 opposition elected representatives.
Fauzi also told Mohammad not to treat the Penang Zakat as his own but to go about doing things the right way.
"There was no such issue in the past by other leaders. This is getting out of hand."
He said it all started when Penang Zakat only called representatives from the unity government parties to attend a session on a school uniform scheme and the 'Nur Ramadan' hamper presentation to the poor earlier this month.
"Why weren't representatives from the opposition parties invited? Penang Zakat has always been praised for its fairness and professionalism.
"We want Mohammad to stop this madness. We are willing to meet him to discuss things if he is prepared to meet us," he added.
The New Straits Times has reached out to Mohammad for his comment and still awaiting his response.