Bersama leader Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli has warned that the government’s decision to reduce constituency allocations for certain Members of Parliament could carry political repercussions, particularly in areas that have traditionally backed Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Rafizi questioned the rationale behind the move, saying the impact would extend beyond individual lawmakers, including Wong Chen, who recently resigned as the Subang MP.
Speaking at a press conference at the party’s headquarters today, he said cutting constituency funds could directly affect voters who had traditionally supported PH.
“The impact is not merely on an individual MP like Wong Chen. The impact is on how parliamentary constituencies that traditionally voted for PH are suddenly cut off,” he said.
He said affected constituents could potentially be referred to political party branch leaders or political appointees when seeking assistance. However, Rafizi argued that some members of the public might not feel comfortable approaching politicians for help.
For that reason, he stressed that parliamentary service centres should remain separate from political party offices so they can serve residents regardless of their political affiliations.
Rafizi said this was among the practices he and Wong had attempted to change after becoming MPs in 2013, with the aim of making constituency services more inclusive.
He cited Subang, Petaling Jaya and Ampang as constituencies with significant support for PH and progressive voters, arguing that restrictions on constituency allocations could have a greater impact in these areas.
“When Datuk Seri Anwar makes a decision like that, the impact is deep. And I just don’t see what political capital he gets out of that,” he said.
Rafizi also said he could not comment on whether the MPs representing Petaling Jaya and Ampang, whose allocations he said had also been blocked, would follow Wong in resigning from their respective positions.
