Increase in special draws a collective responsibility of previous government, says Tengku Zafrul

KUALA LUMPUR: Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, now Senior Political Adviser to the Prime Minister, stated that the decision to increase the number of special draw days to 22 per year during the previous administration was a collective responsibility of the government, including ministers from Pas. Special draws had been introduced in 1999, and their annual limit of 22 had already been in place during the Barisan Nasional era.

When the pandemic occurred, the government returned to the 22-draw limit, which was also reported to Parliament. Under the current Madani government, the number of special draws has been reduced to eight per year. Tengku Zafrul addressed those attempting to place blame on him personally for the increase, asserting that the facts were clear and he had no desire to prolong the controversy.

The Madani government's primary focus is on addressing citizens' concerns and ensuring that policies genuinely benefit them. The issue resurfaced after claims and disputes about the rationale for expanding the number of draws during the Covid-19 pandemic. Upon assuming power in December 2022, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the special draws would be reduced to eight per year, starting in 2023.