Detractors fumed at Melaka UMNO for draining state coffers by needing “7 back-up ADUNs”

 

MELAKA Chief Minister Datuk Seri Utama Ab Rauf Yusoh has apparently been chastised for unnecessary wastage by ‘orchestrating’ the appointment of up to seven unelected assemblymen – a move which led to en masse resignation of four DAP representatives from their state government portfolios.

Former Melaka UMNO deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Ali Mohamad who deemed the current 28 state assemblymen line-up as “sufficient given it’s not a large state with a large population capacity” claimed that such move would only add unnecessary burden on the state’s coffers.

“Based on the latest official estimate by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), the total population of the Melaka state in 2025 is estimated to be around 1.05 million only,” justified the now Bersatu member in a Facebook post.

As per the remuneration rate approved by the Melaka State Assembly, a Melaka state assemblyman receives a fixed allowance of RM12,000/month with effect from January 2024.

However, this cost has yet to include other allowances, employee costs, office costs and other costs that can run up to thousands of ringgit for one state assemblyman/month, thus could be exorbitant on a yearly basis.

After all, Melaka is not a state that’s too large to require an administration that involves additional millions of ringgit a year just to add new assemblymen.

Editor’s Note: The justification given by Rauf who has been the Melaka CM since March 31, 2023 is that the seven unelected assemblymen to be appointed would comprise experts and professionals.

“Hence, the objective of the amendment to the state constitution is to make the Melaka state assembly more inclusive, knowledgeable and better equipped to address the increasingly complex challenges of modern governance,” he asserted.

Apparently, many Madani backers echoed the views of Mohamad Ali who was a former Dewan Negara deputy president with one commenter reckoned that “the money could be better spent to assist the poor or small traders”.

“Just change the Melaka government then I’ll make sense” was his call.

Veteran journalist and blogger Datuk A. Kadir Jasin also slammed Rauf and his Melaka administration for being “spendthrift by using taxpayers’ money so that politicians and cronies can have fun”.

“They think Melaka is still an absolute monarchy. Or does the CM think that he’s the king,” quipped the national journalism laureate.

Interestingly, this was when some commenters came forward to back resignation by the DAP quartet as “justifiable to defend their principles of won’t accept the seven unelected state assemblymen”.

“Why not choose high-calibre state assemblymen to contest in the state polls from the outset?” they queried.

In short, one commenter described the wastage incurred from having to pay the dues of the seven appointed representative as “a clear sign of being power crazy”.

Another simply berated the Melaka state government of “getting carried away just because of the BN (Barisan Nasional)/UMNO landslide victory in Johor state polls”.

“The power is in the hands of the rakyat, not politicians,” he reminded. – Focus Malaysia