The Members of
Administration and Members of the State Assembly (Remuneration) (Amended)
Enactment 2013 which was passed by the Selangor State Assembly which provided
for the salaries of the Menteri BEsar, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Excos and state
Assemblymen to balloon between 87% to 373% should be soundly lambasted for
being unreasonable as the tabled figures are even higher than the salaries of
the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers and Deputy
Ministers and Members of Parliament.
I urge the
Selangor State Government to review and revoke the Bill as the relevant funds
should be channeled towards development and management within the state,
particularly in strengthening security and infrastructure.
Under the new
salary structure, the monthly wages of Assemblymen will be raised 87% from
RM6,000 to RM11,250 a month, the Speaker from RM6,109.29 to RM22,500 (268%),
and the deputy Speaker from RM3,327.50 to RM15,750 (373%). The salary of exco
members will spike 231% from RM6,109.29 to RM20,250 while the Mentri Besar will
have a pay jump of 106.4% from RM14,175 to RM29,250.
For the
Menteri Besar’s salary to exceed the Prime Minister’s by RM6,424 is ludicrous
considering that the PM’s responsibilities are much weightier governing the
entire country compared to the former who looks after only one state. Even the
pay of Selangor Excos will be higher than the Deputy Prime Minister by RM5,343
while the remuneration of the state Assemblymen of RM11,250 is nearly double
that of Members of Parliament.
The Menteri
Besar justifies that the pay of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and state lawmakers
should be simultaneously boosted based on his view that the Selangor state
administration has been very effective in managing the state in terms of
security and development. However, Selangor is also bogged down by a laundry
list of problems which the state government must address like disruption in
water supply, graft, sand theft, failure to build low-cost homes, poor planning
for the towns and residential areas and a climb in property assessment rates.
The Selangor
Pakatan state government should not take the mandate of Selangor residents for
granted and do whatever it pleases. If the state government can award its
legislators a mountainous takehome yet are disaffected by its residents
struggling to earn a living, then it does not deserve the trust and confidence
of voters.
28.11.2013
