May 7, 10
2:31pm
After an exhaustive effort to corner Pakatan Rakyat leaders for monetary misconduct, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is now training its cross-hairs on débutante parliamentarian, Nurul Izzah Anwar.
The Lembah Pantai MP had received an email on Wednesday from the anti-graft body attached with a form to be filled with details of how her monthly allowance as a parliamentarian is expended.
Members of parliament are given a basic stipend of RM6,000 as well as additional remunerations among others for attending Dewan Rakyat sittings, accommodation allowance and travel expenses.
Opposition MPs, from DAP, PKR and PAS control 10 out of the 13 seats that fall under the Federal Territory.
Nurul said: “I get about RM13,000 in allowance (as a MP), and I can vouch that almost 100 percent is used to sustain my service centre, while 20 percent goes to our respective parties.
“We survive wholly on our allowance and maximise every penny for our programmes, although it is not an allocation.
“They are putting pressure on me. Don’t get me wrong, we are all for transparency and every penny earned is for the rakyat to know and we are accountable to the people,” Nurul (left) said.
Previously, the MACC had taken seven Pakatan Rakyat Selangor state assembly representative to task in relation to the use of state funds in their respective constituencies.
The seven were Teresa Kok (Kinrara), Hannah Yeoh (Subang), Elizabeth Wong (Bukit Lanjan), Ean Yong Hian Wah (Sri Kembangan), Dr Cheah Wing Yin (Damansara Utama), Edward Lee (Bukit Gasing) and Lauu Weng San (Kampung Tunku).
The graft busters had also interviewed several others connectedwith Yong’s state fund allocation, and on one occasion his political aide Teoh Beng Hock who was being probed was found dead on the 5th floor landing of Selangor MACC building in Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam on July 15.
Difference between allowance, allocation
Although the inspection is not mandatory, Nurul appealed to the authorities to distinguish between an allowance given as a form of salary and the allocation granted for projects.
“I don’t understand what the MACC is after… what about the RM1 million in allocation given to Barisan Nasional MPs while for seats held by Pakatan MPs the allocation is channelled to BN divisions in the respective constituencies.”
“We celebrate MACC’s eagerness to investigate this but we also encourage them to exhibit the same enthusiasm to investigate where the where the RM1 million allocation is going,” she toldMalaysiakini.
A check with DAP’s Lim Lip Eng and PAS’ Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohd Ghazali revealed that the MACC had not got in touch with them on the matter.
“I will never declare my expenditure because it is none of MACC’s business.
“They should investigate the RM1 million MP special allocation given to Umno,” said Lo’ Lo’ via a text message to Malaysiakini.
Lim said none of the DAP parliamentarians in the Federal Territory have received the form to declare their allowances.
As the Federal Territory comes under the direct supervision of the government of the day, only three BN-controlled constituencies – namely Setiawangsa, Putrajaya, and Labuan – receive allocations from the federal administration.
