Forced to be model, Muar MP slams govt over opposition funding

Summary

• Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman criticises the government for withholding constituency allocations from opposition and independent MPs, despite multiple negotiations with Deputy Prime Minister II Fadillah Yusof.

• To secure funds for Muar, he resorts to alternative means, including running 200km in protest and even modelling, eventually raising over RM1 million for his constituents.

• He urges the government to be transparent, stop political bias in aid distribution, and prioritise the welfare of the people regardless of political affiliation.

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has urged the government to be sincere in allocating funds to opposition MPs.

During his debate on the king’s royal address in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, Syed Saddiq revealed that there was no progress despite holding five negotiations with Deputy Prime Minister II Fadillah Yusof.

This, he said, had forced him to seek alternative means to secure funds for his constituency.

"Letter after letter has been sent. More than 400 days have passed, but government aid to the Muar parliamentary constituency remains at zero ringgit.

"I've tried (negotiating) many times, but I haven't succeeded. That's why I ran from Muar to Parliament. Recently, I even became a model - some MPs were angry at me for doing so, (but) I had no choice.

“In the end, Alhamdulillah, I managed to secure over RM1 million in contributions for Muar," Sinar Harian quoted him as saying yesterday.

Last year, the former Pakatan Harapan lawmaker ran approximately 200km from Muar to Parliament to protest the government's refusal to allocate constituency funds to opposition MPs.

After running for around four days, he arrived outside the Parliament building on July 1, generating RM160,000 in donations for his constituents.

In an Instagram post, Syed Saddiq thanked local brand Primavalet for donating RM1 million to his constituency, comprising Aidilfitri clothing, prayer veils, and groceries for those in need, adding that he had to be a model, doing photoshoots and even hike Mount Kinabalu in Sabah.

‘Just say it’

During a parliamentary session last November, Fadillah stated that he remained open to discussions with opposition MPs regarding constituency allocations.

He also noted that Syed Saddiq was the only MP who had submitted a response to the memorandum of understanding and assured that he would respond in due course.

His remarks followed a report last September in which Perikatan Nasional leaders rejected Putrajaya’s draft agreement on constituency allocations for opposition MPs.

Syed Saddiq has since called on the government to make a definitive decision and stop playing guessing games over the matter by being transparent with the public.

“If they do not want to provide the allocation, just say it in the Dewan Rakyat. Don’t be two-faced, saying one thing inside and another outside.

"This is not right. On this matter, I hope for mature politics so that, in the end, regardless of whether you are in the government or the opposition, the welfare of the people in your constituency is protected, and aid is given without political bias.

"How can we become a developed nation when even such a basic issue cannot be resolved, despite it being shouted about for decades when in the opposition?" he remarked.

Urban Renewal Act

Syed Saddiq also criticised the government for attempting to introduce the Urban Renewal Act (URA), warning that it could disproportionately benefit developers at the expense of lower-income groups.

He expressed concern that the act would primarily affect the lower-income communities, the majority of whom are Malays and Indians living in flats.

"What worries me most, Mr Speaker, is the immense lobbying power of developers. In Malaysia, without a political funding law, this issue could open an even bigger Pandora’s box.

"If I wanted to acquire land, and negotiations already favour developers, I could provide political funding to parties in government or the opposition, which may one day become the government, to influence the process.

“What was once a fair negotiation between developers and all property owners would now see government intervention," he argued.

Previously, developers needed 100 percent consent from property owners for a project’s approval, but under the proposed law, this threshold would be reduced to 80, he said.

"This means that if the majority agrees, the minority will suffer, as their homes will not be seized by the government, but by private developers," he added.

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