Selangor speaker defends salary, says no diamonds

Selangor state assembly speaker Hannah Yeoh has defended her salary of RM22,500 a month, saying that she earns "far less" than Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Commenting on a factbox in The Star comparing her pay to Muhyiddin's salary, Yeoh said she was ready to declare her assets to prove it.

"I co-own one terrace house with my husband and one Kia Sorento car. No other side income. No diamonds. No contracts. No private jets.

"My husband has no role in any state agency. My two babies only have toys and are not involved in any companies doing business with government

"My hands are still clean. I work like all other working folk. I am the first woman speaker. I am not the first lady," Yeoh said in a series of tweets.

'Declare your assets before criticising'

She also challenged Defence Minister Hishammudin Hussein, who today condemned the pay hike, and the Umno ministers, to declare their assets before criticising. 

“And for the record, I am not defending the pay hike. Hike or not, I have already served in the last five years and will continue to serve,” she said. 

The assembly passed a 268 percent pay hike for the Selangor Speaker yesterday, along with pay rises for the Menteri Besar (RM29,250 amonth), Deputy Speaker (RM15,750) and assemblypersons (RM11,250). 

The Star's factbox shows that the Selangor speaker's salary is RM22,500 a month while the deputy prime minister's pay is RM18,168 a month. 

It also compared the salaries of Selangor assemblypersons and executive council with the salaries of MPs and the members of the federal cabinet. 

Meanwhile, DAP's Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching (right) has taken the critics to task by asking whether they made the same fuss when Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud's salary jumped from RM13,000 to RM39,000 a month last May. 

The critics include Housing and Urban Well-being Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan. 

Responding to Teo's tweet, Abdul Rahman accused her of “flip-flopping” and asked: “Didn't you want to be a hero and blasted BN for trying to increase MPs' allowances previously?”