A state rep will have his salary increased from RM4,500 to RM15,000 per month, while an assistant minister will now get RM21,000, minister RM27,000 and a senior minister RM30,000.
He is ensuring that his team remains filial and this means rewarding them sufficiently with cash and contracts, if past record is any measure.
The next state elections is scheduled for 2016 or earlier. Hence the timely tabling of a bill to increase salaries, enumeration, gratuities and pension of the honourable members as well administrative staff.
The bill which was passed by the State Legislative Assembly today will offer financial windfalls for the state’s 71 elected representatives, its 19 state cabinet assistant ministers and 10 ministers in his state cabinet.
The new salaries are expected to be effective later this year. The salaries will also be backdated to January 2012.
This means that the current batch of assemblymen, assistant ministers and ministers will receive between RM250,000 to RM500,000 each in back-pay.
A state assemblyman will have his salary increased from RM4,500 to RM15,000 per month, while an assistant minister will now get RM21,000 a month, minister RM27,000 and a senior minister RM30,000.
In addition, assistant ministers and ministers will also be paid their monthly assemblyman’s allowances of RM15,000 each. This means that an assistant minister will receive a total of RM36,000 in remuneration a month.
In the same token state cabinet ministers will receive RM42,000 and Senior Minister RM45,000.
What about integrity?
Debating the bill, DAP Kota Sentosa assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen asked the justification for the increase although he agreed that the high cost of living had affected the YBs as well as the members of public.
“What justification is there for the state government to increase the enumeration, gratuities and pension of the honourable members?
“We have in this house increased our enumeration by 200% by our direct power, but the people do not have that power.
“The government of the day has that power to increase the income of the people affected by the increased costs of living, if it wants to.
“Sadly, it has not been done. The people’s income does not the match the increase of the salaries of the administration by 200%.
“So what is the justification of the increase, although we from the opposition are also beneficiaries of the increase?” he asked.
Chong also pointed out the need to address the integrity of the state government and its leaders.
“If you want to increase the salaries of the honourable members, then the integrity issue must be addressed. But the BN has refused to do so,” he said alluding to BN’s lost of popular votes in the 2011 state and recent general polls.
At this point the Speaker Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar warned Chong not to mention the issue as it had nothing to do with the subject being discussed.
Semop assemblyman Abdullah Saidol asked Chong why DAP and other Pakatan leaders refused to sign the integrity pledge.
Before Chong could answer the question, the Speaker stopped him.
“The Speaker refuses to allow me to answer your question. Had the answer been given, it would be very embarrassing. The Speaker knows this,” said Chong, who is also Bandar Kuching MP.
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