Key Selangor officials should prove their worth, then get pay hike

There is a new Selangor administration in town and much is expected of them after the political circus that began last January.

But what does the new Selangor administration do? It proposes to reward itself and other key officials of the state government, including the state legislative speaker.

Yes, there is some RM3 billion reserves saved and hoarded by former Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim which should be spent – but on the executive council and legislature officials?

Is there any justification for the pay hike, apart from the abortive pay hike that was agreed in November 2013 but cut earlier this year?

There are some new faces in the government and of course, there are those who have been there since the May 5 general elections in 2013.

But to give a pay raise now, of what is essentially a new government?

They should just serve and prove their worth first before rewarding themselves, given the political circus that people in the state had to endure.

Also, there are hundreds of thousands of people having difficulty making ends meet in the country's wealthiest state and they should be the focus of attention.

The speaker, deputy speaker and executive council members do not fall into that category. They have allowances and they are in government to serve, not think of their wages first.

One does expect a lot from the Azmin Ali government. It was not easy for him to get the menteri besar post. And his government has a lot to prove, including improving on the performance of the previous Khalid administration.

The previous Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government saved money and did not spend as much, getting initial praise that later turned to criticisms as the state seemed worse from wear.

They were also criticised for the pay revision last November, which was later cut in April 2014.

So why would the new Selangor government shoot itself in the foot with a quick salary jump? The first order of business is to help the people of Selangor and ensure the state prospers further.

Now, unless there are key targets made and met by the new government, the key officials do not deserve any pay raise yet. There must be sanity in the Selangor government and the money must be spent wisely.

If PR wants to show Selangor, and Kelantan and Penang as the case may be, as examples of its rule – then it should reconsider pay hikes until it proves its worth. And not before. – October 1, 2014.