Higher salaries for MPs soon, says minister
Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said opposition MPs have endorsed in principal a proposal to increase MP salaries, saying it is high time their pay is revised.
“They asked for not only the salary to be revised but also allowances be provided to cover expenses for offices and researchers,” said the minister in the Prime Minister's Department.
Shahidan declined to reveal the revised amount, saying it was too "technical" to discuss.
“I will not touch on this but for your information, our MPs salaries were among the lowest in the world. The MPs in Cambodia and Uganda received higher salaries more than double of MPs salaries here,” he said.
An MP currently receives a basic salary of RM6,508.59 and a meeting allowance of RM200 per day.
Shahidan said the salary restructuring would only involve the MPs as the ministers would not be getting any pay increase.
“I am sad, but what can be done since I was told that the salaries of the ministers, including the prime minister and deputy prime minister, will not be revised,” he quipped.
Shahidan refused to divulge further details on the matter.
He said this was the best time for everybody, including the opposition, to agree on the issue.
“If they do not, then we should not visit this matter again and move on to other issues,” he said.
He said the last increment of about RM700 for MPs was made in 2002.
Later in the evening, Shahidan confirmed that opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had agreed to the salary increment. – October 8 , 2014.
