KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) is set to meet this week to discuss the draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the funding allocation for opposition Members of Parliament.

PN chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan confirmed that he has received the draft and that a meeting will be held this week to reach a decision on the matter, Malay news portal Utusan Malaysia said in a report published today.

"Yes, I have received it, and we will discuss it soon. (The meeting will be) God willing, this week,” he was quoted as saying yesterday.

Takiyuddin also said the draft needs to be presented to PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and other leaders for a final decision.

"Whether they agree or not... and if they don’t agree, what needs to be discussed and what the next steps will be.

"They (the government) also agreed to form a committee with us, but PN itself has not been informed about it,” he added.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof on August 3 had said that a joint committee between the government and the Opposition would be established if PN agrees to the terms outlined in the draft.

The draft was proposed following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s call for the issue of funding distribution to opposition MPs to be resolved promptly.

On July 9, Anwar reportedly emphasised that resolving the allocation issue for opposition MPs should not be complicated.

Previously, Kubang Kerian MP Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man questioned whether the government intended to provide funding to opposition MPs, noting that the issue had been ongoing for more than two years.