YOURSAY | ‘Is this just to appease public anger against some, or rather most, of the underperforming ministers?’

Ministers and deputies forgo three months pay

Apa Nama: The ministers and their deputies should forgo 15 months’ salary (500 percent more than what was announced).

How did I come up with 15 months? It was because of the many blunders since coming to power through the backdoor in February 2020 that we are facing the crisis today.

We are facing this predicament because of the countless flip-flops and the failure to plan in carrying out the vaccination programme.

One minister says left, another says right, yet another one says top, and one more says bottom.

Bruclax: Exactly. Big deal. Three months’ salary is peanuts for these ministers and their deputies. Is this just to appease the public anger against some, or rather most, of the underperforming cabinet members?

Going by public sentiments, it is obvious that the people are fed up with the performance of the ministers. What Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin should do is to reduce the size of the cabinet.

The fact that these ministers are losing three months’ salary is pocket change. Let's not fool ourselves as this is going to spur an inordinate increase in performance or that it is going to save the economy.

What we need is a small but a high-performance cabinet - one that has no interest in enriching themselves or holding on to power. We need not go far for examples. Just look south.

Malaysia Tulin: I agree. Looking at how some of them are performing, they don’t deserve the perks they are getting as ministers and deputy ministers.

Housing - free; driver - provided; toll - free; fuel - free; bodyguards - provided; office - fully furnished with all facilities; various allowances - provided.

So, no pay for three months is not a big deal for this bunch of cabinet members.

Anonymous 5237890145285379: If the ministers and their deputies are not paid, they will definitely get money elsewhere.

So, where do you think they will get the money for their expenses? From their own savings? Or is the prime minister implying that the ministers and deputies are so rich that they can afford to forgo three months' salary?

Anyway, what is the three months' salary if the government budget is carefully spent, accounted for, and tenders are called openly.

MSBoleh: Why the need to give up three months’ salary? This is like taking one tablet of paracetamol to get some relief.

How about looking at the big picture such as cutting salaries and allowances, remove ineffective appointees, stop the wasteful mass spraying of disinfectant, and open and transparent Covid-19 expenses.

But then again, you probably know what needs to be done but unable to do it because you are surrounded by opportunists.

BrownPuma4932: MPs and Aduns are called YB (Yang Berhormat). In English, honourable so and so. An honourable person is someone who believes in the truth and doing the right thing - and tries to live up to these high principles.

But many of our YBs are facing corruption charges. Do they deserve to be called YB? And given the emergency, all MPs should not be paid since Parliament has been suspended.

YellowTiger1314: @ BrownPuma4932, I agree with ministers not getting paid. It is after all their government that declare the emergency and cause the Parliament to be suspended. But if you said all MPs should not be paid, it's unfair.

The MP from my constituency is from the opposition. Opposition MPs have limited allocation as compared to government MPs.

Every month, these MPs use their salaries to help the B40 (bottom 40 percent of income earners) with food aid and healthcare. Without their salaries, more of them will be starving.

The opposition MPs did not ask for the declaration of emergency. And this was never voted on in Parliament.

Yet Another Concerned Citizen: Muhyiddin thinks we're little kids. It's not the MPs’ pay that we are complaining about. That's just spare change to these MPs.

1. It's the money politics: crony, connections, and contracts.

2. It's the incompetency.

3. It's the arrogance.

MPs think they are celebrities when they're actually public servants.

The Rover: Too little, too late - just deduct 10 percent of each civil servant's salary for the next 10 months and use the money to provide assistance for all those who have lost their jobs and those who are suffering due to the pandemic.

While the rest of the nation suffers, these civil servants are enjoying full salaries and long holidays under the so-called work from home concept.

What do you expect from the so-called leaders who display the same mentality as those from the civil service, who are their vote bank?

MW: How about trimming two-third of the cabinet instead?

The recent spree of action taken against politicians, celebrities and VIPs appear more like a PR exercise to appease the angry rakyat who are at a breaking point due to blatant double standards and absolute arrogance shown over the entire period of the pandemic.

Drngsc: Yes, no need for all these meaningless gestures. Just cut down the ministries to 15. The rest can be removed. That will help.

Lone_Star: Only three months? Some of the rakyat have taken pay cuts for 15 months!

In these trying times of the pandemic, we hear of pro bono lawyers, pro bono doctors, pro bono food deliverers, pro bono undertakers. It is the time for the rakyat to be blessed with pro bono government ministers and their deputies. 

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