Former Youth and Sports Minister, Syed Saddiq, decided to take to his Twitter to clarify his stance after being under fire for corruption allegations that surfaced in March.
After a whooping RM250,000 reportedly went missing from his home, many began accusing the Muar MP for taking bribe money belonging to PPBM. Despite denying this claim multiple times, the ex-minister decided to clear the air once and for all by stating his case on social media.
But netizens weren’t nearly as shocked about Saddiq’s case as much as they were surprised by the bombshell revelation of how much Malaysian minister’s make on a monthly basis.
Ministers and parliament members earn a whopping RM55,000 a month
Saddiq started off by saying that he didn’t understand why ministers would even accept bribes when they already receive such a hefty income.
“Till today, I don’t understand why minister need to take bribes. [Ministers] receive high salary high allowance. And this isn’t even including all the one-off payments received.”
Saya makan duit rasuah?
Baca sendiri & tolong RT. pic.twitter.com/ojW533omkm
— Syed Saddiq ??? (@SyedSaddiq) May 11, 2020
The ex-minister then disclosed that they earn RM55,000 from just being a minister and parliament member.
“This doesn’t include when ministers have to travel some distance away from the office to attend a programme. Additional incentive is given for those too,” added Saddiq.
Here’s the full extent of allowances that ministers are supposedly entitled to:
- RM70,000 for annual vacations
- RM180 PER DAY for meals
- RM10,000 if you’re moving house
- RM42,000 for pinggan mangkuk purchases (one-off allowance)
If you’re confused as to what pinggan mangkuk purchases actually mean, yes they are referring to CUTLERY. And if we calculate these full claims, it’s up to RM187,700 a year!!
Syed Saddiq reveals that he never claimed for anything extra
Due to the allegations, Syed Saddiq blatantly laid all evidences out saying:
- I’m the one who reported the case (loss of RM250,000) to the police. If that’s bribe money, then why would I REPORT it?
- Although given AP when I’m a minister, I did not by any luxury cars. No Vellfire, no sports cars. I also didn’t buy any new or expensive assets.
- I don’t have a new house, only the house my family and I own in Shah Alam, which we had even before I became a minister.
- I was one of the ministers who practised ‘Open Tenders’ for all contracts.
- No contractor got a contract from me. All of them go through JK tender, so it’s free from the ministers’ hands.
He ended the post saying, “Berani kerana benar”, which translates to “Brave because it’s the truth”.
If you’re outraged, don’t worry-so is the rest of the internet.
Something’s incredibly off with Malaysia’s economic distribution when a minister’s elaun pinggan mangkuk is worth ~3 years of a minimum wage work’s salaries.
And their annual vacation allowance?
Can pay the monthly salaries for about 18 fresh doctors. https://t.co/9jV3lkD7LV
— Faizal Hamssin (@faizalhamssin) May 11, 2020
Kalau Saddiq tak tulis ni sampai la ni kita taktau menteri ada allowance pinggan mangkuk AND FOR WHAT
— The Huda (@nabilahudatahar) May 11, 2020
Elaun pinggan mangkuk – RM42k
Elaun penyelidik parlimen – 0The government thinks it's more for our members of parliament to eat and entertain in style than hiring researchers to do legislative work.
— Daniel Teoh (@thedanielteoh) May 11, 2020
But it doesn’t stop there. Even if you’re no longer a minister and have been terminated from your post, you’ll still receive a one-off payment amounting to a total of RM150,000!
Netizens are proud of the bravery and transparency Syed Saddiq has shown
Since the posting went viral on Facebook with over a thousand shares since yesterday (12th May), netizens have come forward to commend Saddiq for being honest and transparent with the public about his earnings.
People say YB Syed Saddiq is too young to be MP.
They are dead wrong. He is not young but genuine. He is far better than those crooked MPs/politicians. https://t.co/9U7hcvKodT
— Zheng Yang (@zheng_yang1) May 11, 2020
I really hope you maintain your convictions & idealism, @SyedSaddiq , throughout your entire life. People change & I hope you don’t, except for the better. Because the young generation need role models like you to look up to. In politics there are not many
— cammy ㅇㅅㅇ??✨ (@AilemracY) May 11, 2020
Others expressed their disappointment in the disparity of earnings between ministers and the people:
Some people have to work for one year to be able to pay for our ministers’ pinggan mangkuk allowance ?
— ????? ??????? (@ayshardzn) May 12, 2020
Bayangkan blajar tinggi2 berhabis ribu riban study luar negara, last2 kerja gaji lagi rendah dari elaun pinggan mangkuk menteri ? https://t.co/lW4qo1nohe
— ??Dapoq Pdot?? (@Dapoq_pdot) May 11, 2020
What do you guys think about this? Let us know in the comments!
Also read: Syed Saddiq’s Picture Was Used In A Fake Tinder Profile And He Actually Responded
