Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim addressed claims regarding parliamentary constituency funding at Masjid Ar-Rasyidin after Friday prayers on August 7. He stated government funds allocated to a constituency, such as RM2 million, are for local residents, not the MPs representing them. “Allocations do not necessarily have to be given to MPs. They are for the people. If RM2 million is allocated, it should go towards schools, religious schools, mosques, drain repairs and other local needs. We will ensure that happens,” Anwar said [1].
Anwar responded to complaints from some MPs who claimed their constituency funding was withheld, especially after losing access to the MyKhas system used for fund applications. He explained that if an MP is in opposition, the government will channel the funds directly to the people rather than through the MP. “If an MP is now in opposition, we will channel the funds directly to the people,” he added [2, 3, 4].
He noted this funding policy has been in place for some time. “The policy has been there from before. When they were MPs, they knew about it. Now they oppose it, so we channel it directly to the people,” he said [4]. Constituency projects involving essential local facilities such as schools, madrasahs, mosques, toilets, and drainage are approved and funded regardless of the MP’s political alignment with the government [4].
MyKhas, the system managing these allocations, is a special fund under the Prime Minister’s office intended exclusively for constituency residents. Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fami stated on August 8 that how MyKhas funds are distributed is ultimately decided by the Prime Minister. “MyKhas is for the people, residents, and voters of the parliamentary constituency. How these allocations are handed out is decided by the Prime Minister,” he said [5].
Prime Minister Anwar also addressed his daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar’s temporary step down from her post as PKR deputy president, saying she will remain active in the party while focusing on a special program outside it. “She has a special programme elsewhere for a while, so I said that was fine and we could accept it. But she remains active in the party,” he said [1, 2, 4].
