IT might just be a sheer coincidence that US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim again vented frustrations of their sacrifices of forgoing their salaries not been acknowledged or appreciated by their people.
Whether this is a case of great minds think alike or otherwise, Wednesday (April 15) saw PKR uploaded a post of PMX expressing his amazement at the Malaysian politics that he constantly gets condemned even though he is not drawing a salary.
The post which was accompanied by a two-minute clip was extracted from the PKR president’s half-hour long keynote speech at his party’s Terengganu mini convention on Monday (April 13).
This was about the same time when US financial portal Moneywise ran an analytical piece of Trump expressing his disappointment that nobody praised him even though he claimed to be the only US president who forwent millions of dollars by “waiving” his presidential salary” (US$400,000 annually).
Editor’s Note: Trump has since his first presidential stint (January 2017-January 2021) been forgoing his salary by instead donating it quarterly to various federal departments.
“Trump has made billions exploiting his power as president. Why would he need a salary? That’s peanuts,” wrote economist Peter Schiff, who supported Trump during the 2024 election.
“He gives up his tiny salary as a publicity stunt to create the false impression that he’s not in it for the money.”
Schiff did not specify what he meant by “exploiting his power.” But reports have suggested Trump’s wealth increased during his current term. For example, Forbes reported in September 2025 that his net worth rose by roughly US$3 bil in a single year.
Publicity stunt, theatrics
By forgoing his salary (including that for his Finance Minister portfolio), PMX contended that he is still entitled to his parliamentary allowance as the Tambun MP (he has also returned allowances for other positions such as role as sovereign fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd chairman).
The bottom-line is PMX has himself stated that his decision not to take a salary is a personal choice aimed at setting an example of integrity during difficult economic times but would not wish to prevent other ministers from drawing their salaries.
Despite this, detractors are seeing the zero salary claim as merely a publicity stunt to camouflage his failure to govern the country.
“People are condemning you not because you didn’t get paid but because you failed in every way,” snubbed one commenter in the PKR Facebook post.
“When people criticise you and you can’t accept it, you use government agencies to arrest and investigate them … what kind of human being are you?”
Other criticism levelled at PMX include the fact that he voluntarily forgoes his rights not to accept a salary yet he is harping on not getting appreciated or that it would be better to just draw a salary to better motivate him to focus on ridding the various weaknesses or defects in his Madani administration.
Environmentalist and social commentator Koo Wee Hon summed up best in a letter dated May 4, 2024 to Malaysiakini which is still very relevant till today:
What he doesn’t take home as salary and allowances for all his posts is a pittance and does not compensate for what the nation and many have to navigate daily through racial and religious provocation, anxiety and financial hardships.
The nation and its people suffer economically due to business boycotts brought about by frequent racial and religious incendiary accusations and provocation.
The PM and government have done little or have been too late to douse the flames of inviolable issues of race and religion.
Perhaps, Anwar should take his full salary and allowance which he is entitled to.
By getting paid from government coffers which are mainly generated from taxes paid by the people and businesses, it may galvanise him and get him off his current staid and insecure persona.
He may feel compelled or obliged with his remuneration to act and lead the people who believed and had faith in his courage and progressive moderate principles during his long years in the political wilderness.
This no salary or allowances decision, however well-meaning and thoughtful it was, does not seem to be working, and the country is regressing socially, economically, racially and religiously. – Focus Malaysia
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