How could I harp on people’s struggles while having RM50,000 allowance: Anwar

SHAH ALAM – Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said he could not bear to accept an offer of RM50,000 worth of ministerial-level monthly allowances as the country’s opposition leader out of the thought of ordinary Malaysians’ struggles.  

This led to him declining the offer for the payments made to him by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, the PKR president said.

In his policy speech at the party’s national congress here today, he claimed that it would have been “two-faced” of him to accept the allowances offered while continuing to harp on the suffering of the people.  

“We are a party of struggles. Yes, we speak about those who are unemployed, the poor during the Covid-19 pandemic and those who do not have enough to eat. 

“How do we give out packed food to beggars, but we want to take the RM50,000 (allowance) a month? So I declined the offer,” he said.  

In March, Anwar, who is also Pakatan Harapan chairman and Port Dickson MP, had said he rejected the allowances because he wanted to send a message to fellow politicians to stand by their principles and be more in touch with regular Malaysians.

Elaborating further today, he said he had criticised his fellow PKR members who displayed their wealth and did not care for reformists taking to the streets. 

“When I told (Datuk Seri Dr Wan) Azizah (Wan Ismail) that I rejected the offer, she said ‘alhamdulillah’. 

“I’m thankful for a wife like this. If it were to be someone else’s wife, she would say, ‘Abang, just accept it. At least I get another diamond bracelet’,” he quipped.  

Anwar was reported in October last year to have opted to turn down several ministerial amnesties and allowances accorded to him as opposition leader.  

He had said that he would instead be channelling the funds to donation drives for struggling citizens.  

Some of the amnesties Anwar has declined to accept include:  

– RM14,907.20 a month in monthly wages;

– RM12,320 a month for entertainment allowances;

– RM1,500 a month for special payments;

– RM833 a month for home maintenance allowances;

– RM6,000 for warm clothes allowances (once every three years);

– RM1,500 for formal ceremony attire allowances (once every three years);

– RM1,500 for “black-tie” attire allowances (once every three years); and

– An official car and a private vehicle for usage during official duties.

In another development, Anwar said he will not stop bringing up matters regarding 1Malaysia Development Berhad although certain quarters had attempted to silence him, even creating campaigns to stop others from talking about the scandal.

“Some have said that the matter is an issue of the past and they are bored of it. But the tens of billions of ringgit is the people’s rights. So isn’t that our problem?  

“The people would lead better lives if there wasn't a ‘mega robbery’ of tens of billions of ringgit which could be channelled back to the people,” he told the PKR congress. – The Vibes, July 16, 2022