Salary slashes and cash cuts – they may be academic, but it’s at least a start.

THE Prime Minister has announced that he will forego his monthly salary and decided that his Cabinet members will take a 20% pay cut.

The leaner line-up, while not massively significant, will also mean extra work for the ministers.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Cabinet agreed that in the spirit of concern with the plight of Malaysians, the salary slash would only be reviewed when the economy recovers.

While it’s merely a symbolic move, we should, nevertheless, welcome the PM’s decision.

But even with the pay cut, our Members of Parliament are still better paid than most of us.

It’s not just their monthly salary but the many allowances and claims. As the saying goes, the devil is in the details.

The PM’s monthly salary is only about RM22,800, while his deputies get about RM18,170. But the claims and allowances of a PM can reach RM80,000 a month.

By Malaysian high-level corporate comparison, it would certainly be very low. So, some talented leaders may not wish to go into politics for this paltry sum.

A Minister gets about RM12,800 while a Deputy Minister earns RM8,840.

But don’t forget that the Ministers would still be entitled to their MP salaries, about RM16,000 monthly, while Senators earn RM11,000.

According to reports, MPs are also entitled to a host of allowances and claims from meetings, entertainment, special payments, monthly travel, driver, meal and living allowances.

In the 2022 Budget, RM148mil was allocated for the operations and running of Parliament.

In her popular column, So Aunty So What?, June Wong quoted her detailed findings from the Statute Paper 235 of 1983 on the Official Portal of Parliament of Malaysia (bit.ly/malaysia_mp).

First off, an MP’s monthly salary is RM16,000. He/she also has a phone allowance of RM900 and a fixed travel allowance of RM1,500 a month, without needing to submit claims.

An MP is also eligible to receive RM400 a day for attending Parliament and RM300 a day for official meetings, workshops, briefings, seminars, etc; a daily subsistence allowance of RM100 while on official duty within the country or RM170 outside Malaysia; food allowance of RM340 for every night spent outside the country; hotel charges of not more than RM400 a night, if the fixed allowance is not enough to cover all these claims.

That’s not all. MPs were not entitled to pensions or gratuities until the passing of the Administration and Members of Parliament (Pensions and Gratuities) Act 1971.

That Act was repealed and replaced by the Members of Parliament (Remuneration) Act 1980 [Act 237], which provides for pensions, gratuities, benefits and allowances.

There is also a “special payment” of RM1,500 a month for MPs who aren’t members of the administration as defined under Clause (2) of Article 160 of the Federal Constitution, meaning he is not a minister, deputy minister or political secretary.

Wong, who covered Parliament for many years as a reporter, wrote that “if they travel by air on official business, they are entitled to business class seats, and every month, they get allowances for fuel (RM1, 500), toll (RM300) and entertainment (RM2,500).

“They get a driver’s allowance of RM1,500 even if they don’t hire one, so they get paid for driving themselves. Extra benefits include getting a motor vehicle licence or a firearm permit FOC.”

There are many other perks, like allowances for medical care, warm clothing, ceremonial and black-tie attire, and loans for cars, housing and computers.

“The above salary and allowances, which amount to at least RM25,700, while not really exorbitant, is still a very high income for most Malaysians,” she revealed.

She wrote that MPs, after completing 36 months of reckonable service, get a pension after they turn 50.

What she has written was corroborated by Muar MP, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, former Youth and Sports Minister, who called for the review of pension entitlements and allowances for assemblymen, MPs and ministers, which the Parti Muda president said could exceed RM100,000 per month for some.

Ministers, he said, even get plate numbers that could be sold for hundreds of thousands of ringgit, and two APs (Approved Permits) to bring in luxury cars.

He said that ministers also get gratuity of up to RM1mil to RM2mil, which is based on their years of service as MPs.

Wong shared that “from my years as a journalist covering Parliament meetings, many MPs are seat warmers who hardly ever speak on anything, spend more time in the cafeteria and lounges and even leave before the day’s sitting has ended.

“That’s why the hall is often very empty, barely making the quorum of 26 MPs from the total of 222.”

I would add further that some well-known names, especially the veterans, are guilty of poor attendance.

Perhaps they think these Parliament meetings aren’t important or they have more urgent matters to attend to.

We can understand if they are Cabinet ministers, but these guilty MPs are often those who no longer hold positions.

Then, there are those who would create a ruckus to ensure their names get mentioned by the media and then disappear, based on my experience as a Parliament reporter.

Several of them, unfortunately, have included well-known lawyer MPs, who were suspected of having court cases to attend to and ended up getting themselves suspended.

To be fair, our lawmakers are not exactly the best paid when compared to their counterparts in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Even in Britain, the MPs have more Parliament meetings to attend to justify their allowances.

If we want clean and talented parliamentarians, then they ought to be properly compensated. We surely don’t want politicians to use their positions to enrich themselves.

As the saying goes, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys, but we also don’t want MPs who behave like outrageous primates in Parliament.

It’s a relief that some of these serial recalcitrant reps were not picked to defend their seats, while some even lost badly in the recent general election.

Unity in diversity: Anwar displaying a list of new Cabinet members on Friday night. The lineup has been welcomed as a reflection of the diverse unity government that the Rulers had suggested. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star

You can’t please everyone all the time, but Malaysia has, at least, resolution and a way forward now.

IT’S infinitely unnerving when politicians rely on a combination of race and religious issues to garner support.

Social media is littered with videos of these politicians dangerously peddling their lethal and toxic sentiments to push their desperate agendas.

Unfortunately, these tactics appear to have worked for certain parties, as evidenced by the votes in the recent 15th General Election (GE15).

It may seem preposterous but there’s certainly a market for such toxic stories, buyers of which, tragically, include young voters.

The majority of Undi18 votes, unfortunately, went to those who advocated hard-line religious practices.

Ironically, one of the prime movers of Undi18, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, nearly lost his seat.

It’s one thing to attack corrupt politicians and suggest an alternative, but the treacherous level it has degenerated to is an entirely different prospect.

From promising a passage to heaven to Jewish plots and an alleged Chinese-led unity government, it has become a no-holds-barred onslaught.

The Prime Minister has found himself accused of being an Israeli spy, while others have been called LBGT+ supporters and communists, thanks to one imaginative and fertile mind.

Even the Rulers have been criticised, although in a more subtle way, but the tone of discontent is palpable. They have ignored the line, for sure.

The election is over. His Majesty called for a unity government with Perikatan Nasional – comprising Bersatu, with PAS – invited to join the government, but Perikatan declined.

It was no surprise because Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin wouldn’t have fancied playing obliging subordinate to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was the choice of the Rulers for PM.

While Bersatu leaders have stated their preference to be in the Opposition, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang’s hysterical outbursts haven’t quite tickled Malaysians’ funny bones.

He may have 49 Members of Parliament but he must surely feel anguished at being out of power at the federal level, especially with such a big bloc of lawmakers.

But PAS needs to get a grip.

The events of GE15, which led to an inconclusive result, have proven that no single political coalition can form a government without the participation of all Malaysians, including Sabahans and Sarawakians.

No doubt Perikatan has won over the Malay heartland, especially the “fixed deposits” of Felda settlers, and even the Putrajaya constituency, the government’s seat.

But Perikatan can’t hope to form a government if the rest of the country doesn’t subscribe to PAS’ politics.

It’s unfortunate that the Opposition is now nearly all- Malay, but, fortunately, the government bench is more diverse. There’s obviously nothing for PAS to brag about.

The party needs modern and progressive leaders if it hopes to achieve its aim. It needs a kinder and more open narrative to win over the rest of Malaysia, and not just the East Coast of the peninsula.

PAS is arguably regarded as a party dominated by religious leaders with qualifications from West Asia, but lacking strong fundamentals in finance, economics and the sciences.

A constant barrage of statements reeking of Talibanism isn’t going to help them.

Umno will now need to work on its lost Malay ground. It must cleanse itself of its tainted and corrupt image which has scarred the party.

President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, like it or not, has plenty of work to do. He can’t preach the virtues of being in a unity government and be seen as the person who almost single- handedly killed Umno and Barisan Nasional.

Perlis fell to Perikatan by default, and now the state has a PAS Mentri Besar for the first time.

The polls are over. Malaysia needs to get back to work and brace itself for a tough 2023. There’s simply no time for unproductive politics.

It’s better for the new Federal Government to dedicate itself to making Malaysia a country we can all be proud of, with the rest of the world viewing us favourably.

Leave the dogmatic religious hardliners alone. Stop talking of banning PAS or arresting its leaders, as we will only create martyrs of them, an because, ultimately, it’s more important that the unity government proves its mettle.

If needed, appoint good PAS lawmakers who can contribute to their positions. Why not? There is good talent in all parties, and on both sides of the divide, too.

Let bipartisan politics be a part of a developing, mature democracy, where substance matters more than form.

As Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu said in The Art of War, “Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer”.

If the unity government is genuine, let it be an inclusive government.

Those of us who know Anwar will concur that he doesn’t give up on anyone. He will meet everyone, including those who’ve bad-mouthed him, to win them over.

His policy has always been that if he can’t have them aligned with him, he would want them to, at least, not oppose him. It will be harder this time, though.