Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim is baffled by how a RM40,000 monthly salary is insufficient for some Members of Parliament.
“I don’t know how you can be poor with a RM40,000 salary every month.”
The Prime Minister was asked to comment on a statement by Perikatan Nasional (PN) Chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin claiming that the party had its reasons and basis for not agreeing to the conditions set by the government on the issue of allocations to opposition MPs.
Muhyiddin claimed that the conditions set in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) were unusual and strict, as if they were forced to hand over everything to the government.
According to Anwar, he couldn’t understand how RM40,000 still makes someone poor and said issues arise when MPs are not smart in managing their finances, causing them to end up in debt.
Anwar also said the opposition was deliberately playing up the issue to attract public attention, to the point that some said they were experiencing financial burdens and had to go into debt, despite a 5-figure salary.
“Maybe they have many cars or wives, hence the debts,” Anwar joked while speaking to the media after attending the Inland Revenue Board’s (IRB) 29th Revenue Day Celebration Ceremony.
What do you think of Anwar’s take on this?
Also read: MP: Some Opposition Members “Downgraded” to B40 Because Gov’t Has Never Given a Single Cent
