YOURSAY | 'It's not that ministers should be paid peanuts, but...'
COMMENT | How much does the average minister cost the taxpayer?
IndigoTrout2522: This disclosure by Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is really sickening - that ministers and the government are so abusing the trust given to them by the rakyat.
Should there be a parliamentary committee to review how the budget is being spent? Also, were ministers under Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s 22 years (with BN) and 22 months (with Pakatan Harapan) getting the same kind of monetary compensation and benefits?
Why were there no comments from Harapan when they were in power? Both the government and the opposition owe the people an explanation. Further, this practice must stop.
Darmakochi: It looks like our ministers have no sense of shame in pocketing so much money compared to politicians in other parts of the world.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is retiring after leading a relatively frugal life and has been living in an apartment.
PESamuel: Just compare the extravagance of Seri Perdana (with or without the recent multi-million ringgit renovations) and that old terrace house at 10 Downing Street, London.
BluePanther4725: In Singapore, ministers are paid highly as they perform competently and do a good job.
In Malaysia, the taxpayers are forced to pay high salaries to ministers and MPs who are incompetent and fail to do their jobs.
BlackPigeon0028: @BluePanther4725, I was watching Singapore’s parliamentary proceedings on CNA a while back. The ministers were able to answer any question thrown by the opposition because:
- They are hands-on;
- They don’t depend on their deputies; and
- They don’t say “we will give you a written reply in a few weeks”.
Shame on you, Malaysian MPs. You don’t even attend Parliament.
MarioT: This was a way of life introduced by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. His policies gave unimpeded authority and power to his henchmen to amass great wealth. It continues till today with even more gusto.
Big infrastructure projects, while they brought progress to the country, were also easy avenues to make big money.
Present policies must drastically change for more equality, transparency and accountability in governance.
Beman: It's not that ministers should be paid peanuts for doing their jobs.
In normal times, they should be paid well for what is expected of them. In hard times like now, they should show solidarity with the common folk by offering to take salary cuts.
Another problem is minister posts seem to be created for political reasons rather than based on real needs.
Similarly, the criteria for ministerial appointments seem to be more motivated by political consideration rather than on the experience and training that the appointees have.
PinkViper2028: That's the problem with this country, no MP would speak out on this issue until the YB from Muar did it.
All these years, how much taxpayer money had actually been spent on the MPs and those ministers remained a mystery.
It is high time the rakyat change this at the 15th general election (GE15). Syabas, YB Muar, you will surely get my vote.
Milshah: The fact that no MP voiced support for Syed Saddiq on this issue, from both sides of the divide, speaks volumes. And this entitlement has existed during BN and Harapan’s time, and that no one spoke about it is really telling.
To the voters, it’s choosing between ‘reformasi’ (reformation) or ‘agama, bangsa, dan negara’ (religion, race, and country). Choose wisely because after you vote for them and they become MPs, they will say “you are on your own, I got the position already”.
Bluemountains: Salaries, perks, and pensions being paid to ministers, MPs, GLC heads, and senior government servants must be subject to an immediate and thorough review with the aim to cut wasteful and unjustified expenditures.
The government has been over-generous and wasteful with our money. They are really sucking us dry like vampires and still have the cheek to ask Parliament for increased borrowings.
In the next GE, vote only for the party with a manifesto that promises to cut salaries, perks and pensions of these fellows.
GrayDove8171: The problem with a lot of Malaysians is that we forget too quickly and forgive too easily. Also, our politicians are good at spinning tales to distract us, commoners, from the real issues at hand.
Come next election, we may have forgotten half of their misdeeds toward the nation. And we might even be distracted by new promises - albeit empty ones - to even remember the remaining half of their crimes.
Would we still remember to stay angry?
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