Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki has echoed calls for ministers and others in power to have their allowances cut amid rampant price hikes.
He also voiced opposition against making the cabinet bigger by adding a deputy prime minister as sought by rival party Bersatu.
"While the people are struggling and anxious facing steep price hikes, the government's coffers which are shrinking to the point that various subsidies for the people to be revised, the demand for another cabinet minister should not arise.
"In fact, to show solidarity with the people who are struggling, the allowances of ministers, deputy ministers, the National Recovery Council (NRC) chairperson, and special envoys with ministerial rank should be cut," he said in a statement yesterday.
The NRC chairperson is Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin. Umno is pushing for the council to be disbanded.
Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan, in a statement today, claimed that Muhyiddin receives no payments for being the NRC chair.
Asyraf is currently aligned with Zahid's camp in Umno, who are at odds with the party's ministers.
Asyraf's mention of special envoys with ministerial rank is also notable, as PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang holds such a position as the envoy to the Middle East.
The demand for the cabinet to take pay cuts has been made by various groups - including those in the opposition - protesting against the rising cost of living.
However, Rural Development Minister Mahdzir Khalid has said that a cabinet pay cut will not resolve matters.
The government has set up a task force to tackle inflation and is seeking to offset subsidy cuts with direct cash transfers to target groups. - Mkini
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