Hamzah (PN-Larut) said it was important to give equal allocations to all MPs, adding that if this was implemented, Perikatan Nasional (PN) MPs would “announce” this to the voters in their constituencies.

“If he gives (allocations) to all (MPs), he will score a major point and we will inform our voters that it’s true that (the prime minister) gave equal allocations to the opposition.

“We’re asking nicely. Once we get (the allocations), we’ll announce it nicely. It’s something we must do,” he said when debating the Supply Bill 2023 in the Dewan Rakyat today.

After Anwar tabled Budget 2023 last Friday, PN’s Arau MP Shahidan Kassim had slammed the government over the lack of allocations for opposition MPs in the federal budget.

Shahidan said Putrajaya should “just do away with the opposition” if it wanted to punish the bloc, adding that they were not asking for pocket money but funding for their constituents.

Hamzah said Budget 2023 should be fair to all, including the opposition. “If we can discuss this, let’s discuss.”

The PN secretary-general also called for greater details on how Putrajaya planned to put an end to hardcore poverty, specifically the strategies it would employ.

While he congratulated the government for setting such a goal, he said Anwar’s speech when tabling the budget lacked details on how Putrajaya planned to eradicate hardcore poverty.

Yesterday, the government launched the People’s Income Initiative, which will involve RM750 million in funds, aimed at increasing the income of the hardcore poor and B40 group by spurring economic growth at the grassroots level.