Enact equal constituency development fund laws, Projek Sama urges Penang, S’gor

Projek Sama, a civil society group, has urged the Penang and Selangor governments to enact laws that guarantee equitable constituency development fund (CDF) allocations. They argue that the current system allows these funds to be given or withheld based on political support, potentially using public funds as leverage over elected representatives.

Both Pakatan Harapan-led states currently have comfortable majorities, meaning reforms can be passed immediately without the coalition bargaining constraints that might complicate federal-level changes. Projek Sama believes this move would demonstrate the Party's willingness to apply the same reforms at the state level as it pushes for at the federal level, thereby strengthening its moral authority to demand equal standards set by Putrajaya and other Malaysian state governments.

They also support DAP chairman Gobind Singh Deo's call for the government to fulfill PH's 2022 election pledge to provide equal CDF allocations to all MPs. While welcoming Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's recent announcement of an additional RM1 million for each parliamentary constituency, they caution that the issue of executive discretion remains unresolved.

They warn that further delays in implementing equal CDF allocations could undermine the credibility of PH's other reform commitments ahead of the 16th general election.