LETTER | Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek Sama) calls upon the Madani government and all other state governments to table equitable constituency development fund (CDF) legislation in their upcoming legislative sessions.
This should start with the Dewan Rakyat this October.
After its electoral setbacks in Johor and Negeri Sembilan, Pakatan Harapan must recognise that enacting equitable CDF laws is in its long-term self-interest.
Should Harapan end up in the opposition bench after the next election, its MPs and state assemblypersons will be severely handicapped in constituency service under an Umno-PAS-dominated government.
Passing equitable CDF laws in the Dewan Rakyat, Selangor, and Penang is not a concession; instead, it is buying political insurance for rainy days ahead.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim must abandon the outdated Umno-style mentality that withholding CDF can force opposition or dissident lawmakers into submission.
Without waiting for the bill to be tabled and passed in the next parliamentary session starting in October, Anwar should immediately restore CDF access for the Subang and Petaling Jaya MPs.
Anwar’s defence - that the MPs can be bypassed for the CDF to go “directly to the rakyat” - is completely absurd.
If this were to be true, why did Harapan explicitly demand equal CDF for MPs in its 2021 memorandum of understanding with Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s government?
Public funds belong to the rakyat - not to prime ministers, political parties, or ruling coalitions.
Equitable CDF is not a privilege to be dispensed at executive whim; it is the right of every elected representative and the constituents they serve.
Enacting an equitable CDF law will ensure that allocations to expedite local mini-infrastructure projects and constituency welfare support are handled by democratically elected lawmakers regardless of political party affiliation.
Besides establishing a level playing field for Malaysian democracy, the legislation can also make such spending more transparent and accountable.
Funding discrimination against opposition lawmakers is wrong on four fundamental counts.
First, it constitutes a form of political corruption by converting public money into party favours, thus weaponising state resources for partisan advantage.
Second, it risks reviving one-party dominance. By systematically handicapping opposition lawmakers, the ruling coalition structurally undermines multiparty competition at both federal and state levels.
Third, it unintentionally radicalises the opposition. When moderate opposition lawmakers are denied funding, they cannot deliver service to their constituents and risk losing out internally.
In response, ideological hardliners are incentivised to compensate for their financial disadvantage by resorting to communal bigotry and outbidding to stay politically popular.
Fourth, it directly incentivises de facto party hopping, breeding political instability. By weaponising constituency funds, the executive entices opposition lawmakers to pledge government support in exchange for allocations.
This was demonstrated by the six MPs and a Selangor assemblyperson (Bersatu seven) who shifted allegiance to Harapan in 2023-24 while retaining their seats, thereby betraying the voters’ mandate and hollowing the Anti-Hopping Laws (Article 49A of the Federal Constitution and similar state constitutional provisions).
CDF practices significantly vary across Malaysia’s 13 states. While Perak and Kelantan stand out for providing equitable allocations to both government and opposition members, most other state governments allocate significantly less or almost no funds to opposition assemblypersons.
Sarawak represents the most extreme case of this disparity, giving a whopping RM8 million annually to each government assemblyperson while allocating nothing to opposition members.
Projek Sama commends the Umno-Harapan Perak government under Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad and the PAS-helmed Kelantan government under Menteri Besar Nassuruddin Daud for respecting public funds and multiparty fairness.
However, administrative policy can easily be reversed by future governments.
We urge Saarani and Nassuruddin to take their democratic leadership a step further by codifying equitable CDF into state law, setting an undeniable precedent for the rest of Malaysia to follow.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
