MUAR MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman recently managed to raise RM160,000 for his constituency at the completion of his 200km run from Muar to parliament in Kuala Lumpur.

The crowdfunding effort was a dramatic expression of his frustration over the government’s apparent delay in providing constituency development funds to opposition parliamentarians. In contrast, government MPs are provided with such allocations.

Online and offline donors appear to have shown an appreciation of the importance of such funds in the larger context of national development and democracy.

This “Langkah Muar” (Muar Move), as Saddiq dubbed his heart-pounding run, is aimed at putting pressure on the government to allocate funds that all lawmakers should receive for the benefit of their respective constituencies.

In other words, the government must respect the will of the people who voted for the opposition, which has political legitimacy in our democratic system.

Besides, allocating such funds to all MPs, irrespective of their political hues, was part of the reforms promised by the major components of the unity government in their electoral manifestos.

Such a promise of reform, which is one of the low-lying fruits, would help enhance our democratic practices if it is fulfilled.

It also doesn’t reflect well on the Madani government when an opposition lawmaker found it necessary to run a long distance to tell the whole world that it’s unjust to deprive the opposition MPs of the development funds.

It didn’t help things either when Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof joked, “Wait for me to run first”, in reference to Syed Saddiq’s protest run.

Such a remark has the effect of making light of the government’s claim that a draft of the memorandum of understanding on constituency funds for opposition lawmakers is ready.

In this regard, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim assured that development funds were still channelled to opposition-led states directly to the people, such as aid to mosques and housing projects.

Anwar said such funds, however, would not be handed to opposition MPs who were said to be prone to vilifying the unity government with intent to overthrow it. But, he added, the government would ensure they still get their due allowance.

This clearly is not the same as providing direct allocations to the opposition MPs, who may have different priorities and approaches to development that are in line with their political philosophy and have different ideas about helping people in need.

We would, of course, expect the MPs to be transparent about how they utilise these funds.

A few MPs from the opposition had expressed confidence in the unity government, which had led to political disquiet and to them being “disowned” by their party concerned.

While Anwar might insist that these politicians had done so on their own volition, it has not allayed the suspicion among certain quarters that these MPs felt compelled to shift allegiance in order to get the necessary allocations.

Let’s turn the table around. Would MPs from Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional consider it unfair if they are deprived of the same allocations if and when they’re in opposition?

If the political leaders need reminding, the playing field has to be level so that there is healthy competition and democracy is reinforced. – July 4, 2024.