Azmin: BN reps to get RM200,000 despite refusal

SHAH ALAM: The state government will still allocate the RM200,000 to Opposition assemblymen next year regardless of whether they want to accept it or not, Mentri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali (pix) said.
Azmin explained that RM500,000 have been allocated to the state government's constituency coordinators in all 15 BN constituencies, while RM200,000 will be channelled to the assemblymen directly.
"At the end of the day, the people in that constituency is still getting RM700,000 as the money is for their benefit," Azmin said when met at the State Assembly Annexe Building.
He said the allocation to BN assemblymen is to acknowledge the roles they play in their respective constituencies and he will further address the issue during his budget wrap-up speech.
When asked what would happen if BN assemblymen continue to refuse the allocation when the money is due to be channelled, he said, he will deal with it as it comes.
Selangor BN on Tuesday rejected the allocation for their assemblymen as they think it is grossly unfair for them to receive only RM200,000 while Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen are getting RM700,000 directly.
It should be noted that the BN state administration pre-2008 had never allocated funds for Opposition assemblymen, while Pakatan Rakyat MPs had similarly never received allocations from the BN federal government.
Meanwhile, Azmin said it is wrong of his predecessor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to say that he had never tabled a deficit budget due to increased revenue during his tenure.
"You have to calculate your budget in accordance to the estimated expenditure; if your projected revenue is more, then it's a surplus budget, if your estimated expenditure is more, then it's a deficit.
"You can't compare it to the state's reserves, if you calculate according to the reserves then you'll always have a surplus," he said.
He added that he will respond in detail during his budget wrap-up speech.