Have you ever wondered if the salaries of the ministers in Malaysia is perhaps a little more than it should be?
Previously in May, Malaysian politician and member of parliament Syed Saddiq posted on his social media account, revealing how much a minister actually earns in a month.
The results were pretty shocking.
“Until now, I don’t understand why there is a need for the Ministers to be invovled in corruption. High salary, high allowance. And it’s not even counted with the one-off payments received.” said Syed Saddiq.
In short, one can receive RM55,000 monthly income as a minister and a member of parliament (additional incentives not included), RM70,000 for annual vacations, RM180 for daily food and drinks, and RM10,000 to move into a house. There is even a one-off payment when you are dismissed as a minister.
As a member of the parliament itself, you can earn up to RM31,000 per month, excluding all the other allowances, benefits, and one-off payments.
ministry of finance malaysia
Politicians in Malaysia always make a hit topic. Recently, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) disclosed the highest-earning leaders in Malaysia. Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin topped the list with RM93,841.65 salary per month.
Ekonomi Rakyat did a comparison and discovered that Malaysian ministers receive a much higher salary as compared to ministers in other countries.
For instance, ministers in Malaysia are provided RM178,000 salary per annum, which is 12.4 times more than the minimum salary set by the government for the people, RM14,400 per annum. Whereas in developed countries like the United Kingdom, ministers only acquire GBP79,754 per annum, which is only 4.6 times higher than the minimum wage of their people, GBP17,077.
On the other hand, our neighbouring country, Indonesia, pays its ministers Rp233,680,000 per annum, five times higher than the minimum salary of the people in Jakarta (Rp50,400,000 per annum). This seems reasonable if you compare it with our country Malaysia.
With these soaring salaries, there are still many corruption cases among the ministers as well as kleptocracy in Malaysia. It is saddening yet unfair to the people, especially those of the lower class who are struggling to earn a living.
According to Ekonomi Rakyat, the Malaysian government should plan to either lower the salary of the ministers or increase the minimum wage of the people in the upcoming Budget 2021.
What do you think about this? Share with us in the comments section!
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