The communications and digital minister said the prime minister wanted Perikatan Nasional to hold talks on the matter with his deputy, Fadillah Yusof, as he wanted to “get their views” based on the process that had been set.
Fahmi said this was the same thing that Anwar’s predecessor Ismail Sabri Yaakob had done with Pakatan Harapan when it was in the opposition before they signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in September 2021.
The MoU was a pact that sought to guarantee political stability and economic recovery through bipartisan cooperation.
“It’s not just about asking for allocations because the prime minister’s intention is to get the opposition involved (in helping the government).
“So there’s no issue of (Anwar) turning his back (on reforms), or playing down or denying (opposition MPs’) rights, because the prime minister had already stated the process (that negotiations must be held for equal allocations).
“When we’ve already stated the process, we should all abide by the process,” he told FMT.
Fahmi recalled that on the same day Anwar was sworn in as prime minister, the PH chairman had expressed his wish for the opposition to “help” the government.
“I remember because I was right beside him in Sungai Long. He asked the opposition to work with the unity government to help the government.
“We’ve also heard the prime minister urging the opposition to discuss the matter with Fadillah several times, so that an agreement can be reached.”
Former minister Khairy Jamaluddin previously questioned Anwar’s commitment to reforms he once promised, saying providing allocations in exchange for support was not an institutional reform.
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim, of PKR, had also urged the government to give equal funding to all MPs without negotiations.
Earlier this month, PN chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan said the opposition would not hold further talks with the government on the matter, as they were told to write an official letter and give certain “guarantees”.
Since then, four Bersatu MPs have declared support for Anwar without leaving the party, saying they were doing so for the sake of their constituents.
They are Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang) and Zahari Kechik (Jeli).
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