KUANTAN: Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob (pic) said it was untenable for the state government to allocate constituency development funds to opposition assemblymen.

Adnan said although he had promised to do so if Pakatan Rakyat states started the practice first, he was unable to implement it because of the “confusion” in Selangor where opposition assemblymen had rejected such an allocation.

“The Selangor government wants to allocate money to the opposition and we want to follow suit but the Selangor opposition does not want it while our opposition wants it. I am getting dizzy.

“I cannot fulfil my promise because I have been confused by the situation in Selangor,” he said in his winding-up speech during the state assembly sitting here yesterday.

Adnan said he had never seen any democratic government in the world working together with the opposition on every matter.

“If I do it this time, the president of my party will question my decision as he does not allocate funds for the opposition members of parliament.

“He will think I am trying to be popular in the hearts of the opposition parties,” he added.

Adnan said in any case, allocations were already being channelled to the people through constituency coordinators but the opposition had demanded for the right to hand them out themselves.

Lee Chean Chung (PKR-Semambu) then suggested that the solution was to persuade the Selangor opposition assemblymen to accept their allocation, to which Adnan agreed but pointed out that it should be the Pahang opposition’s job to do that.

There are currently 12 opposition members from Pakatan Rakyat in the Pahang state assembly.

On another matter, Adnan said the state government would highlight the difficulties faced by valid temporary occupation licence (TOL) holders in Cameron Highlands to the Home Ministry.

“Those with TOLs can continue with their farming activities but I have been made to understand that they do not have workers now. We will meet the Home Ministry and try to get them to allow the farmers to secure workers,” he said.-thestar