While the amount allocated to opposition parliamentarians varies according to the government of the day, a government source told FMT that opposition MPs currently do not receive a fixed amount.

Replying to a question from Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman about equal funding for all MPs, Armizan noted that while some administrations allocated RM100,000 to opposition MPs, there were others that “did not give even a sen.”

“Opposition MPs (now) can apply for allocations through their respective chief whips. The most important thing is our openness (to these applications),” he said.

“With a strong financial standing, the government will not hesitate to consider allocations for all.”

In a supplementary question, Syed Saddiq said it is the government’s duty to provide equal funding for all MPs in order to benefit the public.

Julau MP Larry Sng also raised the issue of equal funding for MPs today when asking whether the government had plans to increase the amount of special grants to parliamentarians from Sabah and Sarawak.

In response, Armizan said increased funding will depend on the state of the nation’s finances.

Last month, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said MPs’ constituency development allowances would be slashed by nearly 70% from RM3.8 million to RM1.3 million in a cost-cutting measure.

Separately, he urged MPs who did not receive any allocations to discuss the matter with him.

The Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman was responding to Arau MP Shahidan Kassim, who claimed the government did not provide allocations to opposition MPs.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) that PH and the previous government signed provided for equal constituency development allowances for MPs who were part of the agreement.