DAP MP refers Wee to privileges committee over ministry spending remarks

Kampar MP Chong Zhemin has submitted a motion to refer MCA president Wee Ka Siong to the Dewan Rakyat's Rights and Privileges Committee, accusing the Ayer Hitam MP of making statements that could have misled the House over the Rural and Regional Development Ministry's expenditure.

In a statement today, Chong (above) said Wee must substantiate his remarks, adding that whether they amounted to misleading the House should be determined through the parliamentary process.

“My position is straightforward. How public money was approved, why work was allowed to proceed, and why contractors remained unpaid must all be explained.

"If Wee wants to defend the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, he should answer these questions instead of making this about himself,” he said.

Two days ago, Wee urged for a clarification on the RM2.1 billion discrepancy between approved allocations and expenditure by the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, adding that it should not be construed as embezzlement, the New Straits Times reported.

In response, Chong demanded that Wee retract his statement within 24 hours, warning that he would refer the matter to the committee if the MCA leader failed to do so.

The DAP lawmaker also lodged a report with the MACC on Oct 6 over the ministry’s spending.

In his statement, Chong said Wee had failed to identify any supplementary budget approved by Parliament to cover the expenditure in question between 2023 and 2025, despite telling the Dewan Rakyat that every additional ringgit spent required Finance Ministry approval and had to be included in a supplementary budget.

He challenged Wee to produce the relevant documents and specify when the additional allocation was tabled, how much Parliament approved, and which expenditure it covered.

“Explaining how financial procedures are supposed to work does not establish that those procedures were followed. Wee must address the actual expenditure and approvals involved,” he added.

Dispute over rural roads programme

The dispute centres on the rural roads programme, whose original allocations were subsequently revised upwards by a cumulative RM2.14 billion between 2023 and 2025.

Chong had previously cited figures showing that the original allocation of about RM1.1 billion in 2023 was revised to RM1.85 billion, against actual expenditure of RM1.84 billion.

In 2024, the allocation rose from RM1.3 billion to RM2.02 billion, with actual spending of about RM2 billion. In 2025, it increased from RM1.6 billion to RM2.27 billion, matching actual expenditure.

The issue arose after Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the rural and regional development minister, complained that contractors who had completed projects were still waiting for payment.

Zahid’s political secretary, Razlan Rafii, subsequently said the programme’s spending remained within revised allocations following approved internal budget transfers, known as NOCs.

READ MORE: Funding spat brews between Zahid's and Anwar's ministries

Commenting further, Chong questioned how contractors under the Rural Roads Programme had been allowed to continue working after expenditure exceeded the original allocation.

He asked who had authorised the additional work and whether sufficient funds and the necessary approvals were in place before contractors were instructed to proceed.

He further challenged Wee to clarify whether the Rural and Regional Development Ministry had instructed contractors to proceed before obtaining the necessary approvals and funding, or whether Zahid’s account was inaccurate.

“Is Wee suggesting that Zahid was lying?” he asked.

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