KOTA KINABALU – The Sabah assembly’s surprise approval of a 40% pay raise for lawmakers and others in prominent positions has taken many people off-guard, especially during these economically trying times.
Some call the leaders self-serving for implementing such an increment for themselves when common citizens are being burdened with the rising cost of living.
While many leaders have sought to justify the move, people on the streets are left wondering how it will make a difference to their situations and whether such an action is even reasonable.
Azizan Hali, a car wash worker, said many of the leaders are already doing financially well and there is no telling how many of them have other sources of income.
“Their salary as lawmakers is already big. Some in the ruling coalition could be chairmen of government-linked companies and possibly earn tens of thousands from their side incomes,” he told The Vibes.
“I do not agree with them getting a pay raise. Many are still earning minimum wage and despite the recent increment (to RM1,500 a month), it is not enough to cover the higher cost of living,” said Azizan, referring to the general increase in prices of items like cooking oil, eggs, and chicken in the state.
Azizan, who is originally from Kunak, said the elected representatives do not know the people’s issues, nor are they addressing them. He said this attitude will persist especially since they are now better paid.
“It is best for them to go to the ground and help the people. They need to address the issues.
“They need to go to the remote areas too. Do not just come to the ground when elections are just around the corner,” he said.
On July 19, the Sabah assembly passed a bill to increase the wages of the chief minister, deputy chief ministers, state ministers, assistant ministers, assemblymen, speaker, deputy speakers, and political secretaries.
The increment will cost the state an additional RM5.6 million in expenditure a year.
With this, the remuneration for Sabah’s chief minister is increased from RM23,595 to RM33,033; from RM16,335 to RM22,869 for state ministers and the speaker; and from RM7,950 to RM11,130 for assemblymen.
Warisan Youth chief Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman has claimed that the potential higher earnings from Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor’s monthly income may hit RM100,000 a month, given the fact that the Sulaman assemblyman holds various key state positions and chairs several Sabah-linked firms.
The increment is one of the three bills passed during the four-day assembly sitting last week.
One of the other bills involved additional spending, and the government saw its request for an additional RM688.3 million passed under the supplementary budget bill.
Financial help should come through proper channels
Meanwhile, local entrepreneur Anabelle Lim, 40, said the increment showed just how much Sabah leaders care for their own welfare over taking care of the people’s needs.
She questioned the wisdom of relying on an elected legislator’s heightened salary to channel aid to constituents, as such financial spending should be done through funds dedicated for the constituency for the sake of proper accounting and transparency.
“I heard at the assembly sitting that people have been sending messages to the reps asking for money. Just how much are they giving to the people?
I heard that one YB got approached by a person asking for RM500. But are they really giving that much?
“I think the most is RM200 or RM300. They should not be encouraging this among Sabahans, otherwise this mentality will continue to exist among the people,” said Lim.
She added that no one will ever know how they spend the rakyat’s money if they give out donations to the needy from their own pockets.
Lim said such gratuities are very different from the constituency funds legislators are given as their expenditures are all properly recorded.
All 73 state constituencies in Sabah are each given an annual allocation of around RM2 million and the expenditures are properly accounted for.
Freelancer Ronald Simon Lee, 38, expressed hope that with the sizable increment, the leaders would now be able to resolve the problems affecting the people.
He said that he was dissatisfied by how often getting problems resolved with the government has been difficult.
Lee cited the circumstances that led to a protest against land grabs at the Local Government and Housing Ministry building at Wisma Sedco on July 14.
“For instance, we had this incident where villagers were aided by a non-governmental group from the peninsula to end a land dispute,” he said.
Lee said the Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation ferried several villagers from Kg Simpang in Sandakan to the ministry building to demand that the government intervene in the evacuation of the villagers from their land of 40 years.
“The villagers said they had been evicted after a company obtained a court order,” said Lee, adding that it is such problems faced by commoners that the ministers must resolve.
Ozzy Nibil, on the other hand, expressed hope that the salary increment would give more spirit to the lawmakers to come out and help the poor in Sabah. He pointed out that several districts in Sabah have been listed among the poorest in the country.
It has been reported that of the ten poorest districts in Malaysia identified under the 12th Malaysia Plan, eight are in Sabah – and their elected representatives are prominent politicians. – The Vibes, July 28, 2022
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