Is the inter-agency rural funding row a PMX-Zahid proxy war, a precursor to Madani gov’t collapse?

DISPUTES over government allocations usually remain behind closed doors. One recent disagreement, however, has erupted in public, drawing in senior civil servants and political aides from PKR and UMNO at a time when relations between the two parties are already under strain.

Nevertheless, the public quarrel over payments to rural contractors appears to be more than an administrative dispute. It may be an early proxy battle between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

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