Khaled said the Treasury did not need to “adopt” any parliamentary constituency, describing it as a confusing move amid more pressing matters.

He said the government as a whole should focus on addressing issues like the food crisis, recurring problems with LRT lines, traffic congestion and the slow economy.

“Denial is no longer an option. As part of the government, Barisan Nasional can’t escape responsibility for all of this. The prime minister is facing attacks due to negligence by ministers in carrying out their responsibilities,” the former Johor menteri besar said in a Facebook post.

“Blaming the prime minister is unfair when the relevant ministers ought to step up to the plate and show leadership.

“But for the finance minister, his priority appears to be Kuala Selangor.”

Khaled also questioned the proposal to “enforce” the use of the Malay language in the civil service when bettering the government services to the public was more important.

“Passport renewals take weeks, and at the Causeway, thousands wait in endless queues at the Malaysian checkpoint.

“This is despite having two years during the pandemic to improve the delivery of the government’s services. All these points to a confidence and efficiency crisis,” he said.

There has been speculation that Tengku Zafrul would contest for the Kuala Selangor parliamentary seat on an Umno ticket.

He recently announced the “adoption” of Kuala Selangor under his ministry and that an East Coast Rail Link station was slated to be built in Puncak Alam.

Observers had described this as a “clear indicator” that Tengku Zafrul will contest for the parliamentary seat currently held by Amanah’s Dzulkefly Ahmad.