For those of you who may not know this, according to the Members of Parliament (MP) (Remuneration) Act 1980, an MP’s monthly salary, including their allowances, could work out to an average of RM25,700. MPs may also be eligible for a number of subsidies or allowances for particular uses.
With all that being said, do we know exactly how much our MPs and Assemblymen are making? Not too long ago, Harian Metro shared a summarised list of remuneration that MPs are eligible to receive. In general, here are the salary and allowances that these politicians are entitled to:
- Salary: RM16,000 per month
- Attendance at Parliament meetings: RM400 per day
- Attendance at government agency meetings or workshops: RM300 per day
- Entertainment allowance: RM2,500 per month
- Special payment for non-administrative MPs: RM1,500 per month
- Fixed travel allowance: RM1,500 per month
- Fuel allowance: RM1,500 per month
- Toll Allowance: RM300 per month
- Driver allowance: RM1,500 per month
- Mobile phone purchase: Up to RM2,000 every two years
- Telephone bill allowance: RM900 per month
- Computer purchase: Up to RM6,000
- Black tie clothing payment assistance: RM1,000 every three years
- Formal wear allowance: Up to RM1,500
MPs are also eligible for pension after completing 36 months of service that can be taken into account and after reaching the age of 50. After this list was revealed to the public, many were not happy with how these political figures could earn so much while the citizens of Malaysia struggled to make ends meet.
Some said that the MPs are undeserving of their luxurious life while others believed that some of these allowances (Entertainment, Parliament meeting attendance, etc.) are completely unnecessary and should be used to help the people instead. Most netizens agreed that these allowances should be reviewed with some tagging Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim to look into the matter.
This discussion basically started after a proposal to abolish pensions was brought up at Parliament which was then supported by Umno Youth and MCA Youth, who also recommended that ministers and MPs set an example by embracing these reforms. Do you think these allowances are ridiculous and unnecessary?
Sources: Twitter, Hmetro, NST(1)(2)
