Anwar defends RM6m Tapah allocations, says announcement made before by-election nomination

(MM) – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said any announcement of government allocations must not be made during an election period.

He clarified that the announcement of development project allocations in Tapah was made before the nomination day for the upcoming Ayer Kuning by-election.

“It was before the nomination. If it were after that, we would issue a warning. It is not allowed,” he told reporters after attending the Finance Ministry Assembly here.

Last Thursday, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming announced that the government had approved RM6.13 million in allocations for 33 development and public infrastructure projects in Tapah under the Sentuhan Kasih 3.0 Programme.

Nga said the allocation would be used to upgrade public toilets, food courts, and install light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in various areas within the constituency.

On Friday, electoral watchdog Bersih condemned the announcement, describing it as an abuse of government resources.

It said Nga’s decision to use his ministerial position to channel government projects to an area facing a by-election was an unfair use of public funds.

Source : MalayMail