KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and three others today filed a lawsuit to reverse the prime minister and government’s move revoking the lawmaker’s access to the myKHAS system managing RM2 million in funds for the Johor constituency.
According to a copy of his affidavit, Syed Saddiq claimed the decision to cancel his access was made shortly after his Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) party withdrew support for the unity government on September 10 last year.
The other three applicants for the certiorari order are voters in the Muar constituency.
“I have also met Deputy Prime Minister II Fadillah Yusof twice to address the matter and the last was in April this year.
“However, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the federal government still failed to channel the allocation for the Muar area,” he said outside the High Court here today.
The former youth and sports minister was speaking to the media, with the exchange also streamed online.
He was joined by Muda acting president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz, lawyer Lim Wei Jiet, and other senior party members.
Syed Saddiq’s latest move was a continuation of his judicial review application last week, following the government’s decision to withhold funds amounting to RM730,300 for his constituency last year.
The former Muda president applied for a certiorari order to cancel the decision he claimed was made by the prime minister and the federal government.
Syed Saddiq claimed his situation was different to that of the five Opposition parliamentarians who pledged to support the Anwar’s unity government, where they immediately received full allocations for their constituencies.
“The five Opposition MPs have immediately received full allocation for their constituencies,” he said, referring to PN MPs Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), Datuk Dr Zulkafperi Hanapi (Tanjong Karang), Zahari Kechik (Jeli), Datuk Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar) and Datuk Dr Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan).
Syed Saddiq claimed that the federal government's decision violated his legitimate rights as the elected representative of Muar.
He said it was discriminatory and unconstitutional as the parliamentary constituencies of government MPs continue to receive allocations.
“It is unfair when the government immediately blocks all existing and new allocations after Muda had ceased to support the government.
“I was deliberately blocked and this is discrimination. It is sad that it is the Muar constituents whose allocations are blocked," he said, adding that the situation was akin to revenge politics.
In his claim, Syed Saddiq requested the court to cancel the relevant decisions and order the respondent to channel RM500,000 and to approve and channel allocations to the approved projects amounting to RM230,300.
According to him, the RM500,000 was for people's welfare and disaster programmes, while the RM230,300 was for projects such as donations to finance the cost of developing a school’s resource centre.
The former Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) youth chief also demanded that his access to the MyKHAS system be restored and the allocation channeled to the Muar parliament service centre at the same rate as the government's MP’s for this year.
