Muda’s Puteri Wangsa assemblyperson Amira Aisya Abd Aziz has dismissed the call for her to vacate her seat after the party’s decision to quit the government bloc.

The Muda deputy president said she will not give in to the ultimatum from Johor Pakatan Harapan deputy chairperson Aminolhuda Hassan, for her to either join Amanah or vacate the state seat that “originally” belonged to Amanah.

“If he (Aminolhuda) is giving an ultimatum, he must remember the principle on which candidates contest – that the seat, be it Puteri Wangsa or Muar, belongs to the rakyat and not the party,” Amira told a press conference in Johor today, FMT reported.

Three days ago, Aminolhuda said his party gave the Puteri Wangsa seat to Muda as a courtesy, in last year’s Johor state election.

Broken promises

Meanwhile, Amira also slammed Pakatan Harapan for vowing to fight corruption during the election campaign but going back on its promise after coming to power.

“Promise to the people matters. During election campaigning, you (Harapan) pledged to battle corruption and vowed to send (Umno president Ahmad) Zahid (Hamidi) to jail.

“It’s improper to make such promises, but not fulfill them now,” she said.

Amira was referring to the discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) granted to the deputy prime minister in the Yayasan Akalbudi corruption case.

As a sign of protest against the decision, Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman earlier this week announced quitting the government bloc in Parliament.

In line with the decision, Amira has also shifted her position to the opposition bloc in the Johor state assembly. MKINI

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman claimed that Putrajaya wants to discontinue the construction of multipurpose halls at four schools in the constituency following his withdrawal from the government coalition.

In his debate speech, Syed Saddiq told the Dewan Rakyat this afternoon that it would be unfair if students and teachers were to be punished over political issues.

“In Muar, (the government) has approved the construction of four new halls. These infrastructures do not belong to Syed Saddiq, but belong to the teachers, the schools and their parent-teacher associations who will inherit them from one generation to another.

“But I heard because I chose to be in the opposition, there are rumours that they want to stop the construction of these facilities despite the projects having been approved many months ago.

“I want to ask the Madani government today if they want to punish the teachers, the youths from financially challenged families who really need these basic infrastructures? This is not fair to them,” he said when debating the 12th Malaysia Plan mid-term review.

Withdrawing support

Syed Saddiq is the president of Muda, a party that used to be part of the coalition government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The Muar representative decided to withdraw his support to the government earlier this week, but insisted that Muda will be a third force in the Parliament instead of joining the Perikatan Nasional opposition bloc.

In his speech, Syed Saddiq reminded the government that they would not always be in power and thus should be fair in distributing funds to MPs.