If you don’t want salary hike, you can donate it, Selangor MB tells critics

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim says the salary hike is already passed in the assembly and he will not withdraw it. - The Malaysian Insider pic, November 28, 2013.Even as his partymen called for the Exco and assemblymen salary hike to be postponed, the Selangor Menteri Besar is adamant it will go ahead.

"I will not withdraw the salary hike. We have already passed it in the assembly," said Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

In Parliament this afternoon, as criticisms were raised about the hike, the Pakatan Rakyat backbenchers (BBC) chairman Azmin Ali had called for the pay hike to be postponed until it has been reviewed.

"The menteri besar said in his October 19 budget speech that the government wants to study the possibility of reviewing the pay scale for the Selangor representatives and also the Speaker. But in such a quick time, without BBC being consulted, the pay hike was tabled," Azmin said.

The Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman, who is also Gombak MP and PKR deputy president, said the BBC had not been consulted on the matter by the state administration.

He said the revision was "too high", and a review would be a "smart" move on the part of the state government.

Khalid said the hike in salary was done with the endorsement of assemblymen from Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional.

“When it was debated, everyone was for it and there was no objection,” he said.

However, Khalid said assemblymen who disagreed with the salary revision can channel the extra income to other channels.

“So, if anyone disagreed or is unhappy they can donate (the money) to someone,” he said, taking a swipe at Azmin.

Earlier at noon, Khalid had justified the hike as it will help stop representatives and the executive councillors from looking for extra income from external sources.

"This income (hike) is suitable for the people's representatives and state executive councillors as they will no longer need to find extra income from outside. This has happened (before)," Khalid told reporters after attending the state assembly meeting.

He said the remuneration is comparable to wages in the private sector.

He said the Selangor assemblymen salary scale was modelled after the Sarawak assemblymen’s salary scale but was scaled down by 30%.

Azmin revealed that the BBC had previously handed over a memorandum to Khalid, stating 11 demands. However, a salary hike was not among them.

"Instead, our demands were about state development, flood contingency plans, education issues, affordable housing, public transport and others," he added.

"In a closed door meeting with the MB recently, we discussed the memorandum with him. None of which is about a salary increase."

Azmin dismissed criticisms from BN against the Pakatan Rakyat over the salary hike, noting that the "people's point of view" must be taken into account.

"It is the taxpayers' money. We are not attacking Khalid. He has done a good job but what is our priority?

"We will take this up with the MB soon," he added.

The Selangor assembly had approved a salary hike for all 56 state assemblymen effective next year, with its Deputy Speaker getting the highest rise in percentage of 373.3.

The Members of Administration and Members of the State Assembly (Remuneration) (Amended) Enactment 2013 also provided for a salary boost for the Selangor Menteri Besar, Speaker and State Executive Committee line-up.

The menteri besar's monthly salary would be increased from RM14,175.15 to RM29,250; state executive committee, from RM6,109.29 to RM20,250; Speaker, from RM6,109.29 to RM22,500; Deputy Speaker, from RM3,327.50 to RM15,750 and state assemblymen from RM6,000 to RM11,250.

Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim also announced yesterday that Selangor's 15,643 civil servants would receive a half-month bonus to be paid out in January involving RM14.821 million.

With the payout, the civil servants would have received one-and-a-half month's bonus this year.