KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil chided today Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) Machang MP over his claims that a "draft” of allocations for Opposition constituencies exists.

He said the Cabinet has verified that there is no such draft.

"If the Machang MP doesn’t know anything, he should just keep his mouth shut,” Fahmi told a press conference at the Parliament building here today.

Fahmi’s response came after Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, who is the Machang MP, alleged that Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin had received a draft of allocations from a "representative” of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said after doing checks with the chief political secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, there was no "draft”.

He added that he reached the same conclusion after contacting other political secretaries on the same issue.

"I believe that the Machang MP felt there was a need to save the situation, because what was said by the Opposition Leader in Parliament last Thursday is that there is a ‘draft’.

"But the deputy prime minister who sat with the Opposition Leader, when he reported to the Cabinet, has said that there is no draft and the matter has been verified by the Cabinet.

"So if there is a draft that was apparently given by the prime minister’s rep, why was it not raised when they met with the deputy prime minister?

"That’s the official channel, for me... we refer to the official channel,” Fahmi said.

Wan Fayhsal reportedly claimed that this was the reason why many, including Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, were in the dark about the purported draft on allocations for Opposition constituencies.

He reportedly insisted that it is not fake news.

Last week, Hamzah met with Fadillah on the issue regarding allocations for Opposition MPs, whereby Fahmi reportedly said he only heard proposals on allocations and that no documents were handed to Hamzah and other members of the Opposition who were also present at the meeting.