Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah
SIBU: The Barisan Nasional (BN) government practises transparency and good governance in its finances, including development funds by its elected representatives.
PBB supreme council member Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah mentioned this yesterday in response to Miri MP Dr Michael Teo’s recent challenge to BN elected representatives to put their development-fund book before the Auditor-General to prove they were ‘clean’.
Dr Teo said this was necessary because the amount allocated to them annually was huge.
To this, Abdul Karim, who is Assistant Minister of Youth Development and Asajaya assemblyman, said: “We don’t
play coffee shop politics like MP Teo.
“Let me reiterate that these development funds are not for the YBs personal use as ‘pocket money’ like what MP Teo seems to imply.
“There are terms, conditions and guidelines on how the monies are to be spent.
“It cannot be spent by the YBs as they like. All proposals for expenditures have to be submitted and evaluated by a certain committee for vetting and approval. The YBs can only propose.”
On Dr Teo’s grumbling of having to use his own resources to help his constituents, Abdul Karim said it was Dr Teo’s way of trying to gain sympathy for his inability to service his area well and putting the blame on the BN government.
He said Dr Teo should know that he was in the opposition, hence not given the fund and by going into politics he should know that it required lots of sacrifices.
Therefore, Dr Teo should not grumble when he had to fork out his own money, he argued.