KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government has been urged not to cut allocations of Members of Parliament who support the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Kinabatangan MP Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said instead, the allocations must be increased to eradicate poverty in constituencies.
He said the funds are vital to reduce poverty through MPs who will channel the allocations for the benefit of their constituents.
“MPs supporting the unity government must be empowered, and how to do this is to add more allocations and not reduce them, as the people are entitled to the funds.
“I hope this will be considered by the government ... many budgets or allocations for other matters can be cut, but funding for elected representatives in support of the unity government should not be touched,” said the Umno lawmaker in a statement.
At the same time, Bung Moktar thanked the Prime Minister for presenting a national budget that covers all aspects whether in urban or rural areas.
“What is obvious is that Anwar has the commitment to eradicate poverty in this country.
“Even if we could not reach this goal this year, at least the unity government led by Anwar today showed the seriousness in combating this issue,” he added.
The Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman said for Sabah in particular, infrastructure development remains a major focus and urged the government to reinforce this especially road infrastructure, clean water supply, health and education facilities.
The advancement of such infrastructures would be able to elevate the state from the poverty line, he added.
“I am thankful that the government agrees under Budget 2023 to allocate for the Pan Borneo Highway project, as this was a promise by the Federal Government in the past.
“We hope the first phase will be completed this year, including 19 packages that have not started,” added Bung Moktar.
