This amount may be increased further this year.

Chow said in the past two terms, the Barisan Nasional assembly members had refused to take any money from the Penang government, claiming the handout was “not sincere”.

“We hope they will accept it this time for the people and not refuse it like before,” he said at a press conference in Komtar today.

Previously, the Penang opposition bench had refused to accept the funds from the state government as one of the conditions is that they had to attend state executive committee meetings.

The opposition members also did not accept the allocations as they could obtain funds from the BN-led federal government then.

However, in the May 9 general election, Pakatan Harapan formed the federal government, making the BN MPs part of the opposition.

Chow said the new Penang state assembly would further empower its opposition state assembly members, by selecting one of them to head the state Public Accounts’ Committee.

Currently, there are three opposition members in the state assembly — two from Barisan Nasional and one from PAS.

Chow’s comments come at a time when his Johor Pakatan Harapan counterpart Osman Sapian had said he would not give allocations to opposition members in his state assembly.

Osman said he wanted to do so because the previous BN government had denied allocations for the opposition.

However, later PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin clarified that areas under opposition assemblymen in Johor will still get allocations for infrastructure projects.

Muhyiddin: Funds will be given for infrastructure in Johor Umno areas