Cuts in allowances for newly-recruited doctors in the civil service announced by the Public Service Department (PSD) has prompted public outcry.
Among the responses were calls for ministers to have their allowances cut instead.
The backlash was exacerbated by a grainy image of a newspaper clipping which went viral claiming that cabinet ministers among others could claim up to RM5,700 in parking allowance.
The source of the newspaper clipping, which cites “information viral on the Internet”, is unknown but its claim has since been debunked.
So, how much do ministers actually take home in allowances? The information is not so easy to find.
The monthly remuneration for members of the administration (cabinet members, deputy ministers and political secretaries) are listed in ringgit terms under the Members of Parliament Remuneration Act 1980 (Act 237).
The same act also states that members of the administration can enjoy allowances as agreed to by the cabinet and which go beyond their monthly remuneration.
‘Nothing to hide’
A detailed list of these allowances is not available publicly with sources close to cabinet informing Malaysiakini that the document is “classified”.
However, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail agreed to share some of the details in the interest of transparency.
“When government files are labelled as ‘confidential’ it means the letter, circular or document cannot be circulated but the contents and details can be shared […]
“There is nothing to hide. My view on this issue of this viral image (on ministers’ allowances) is to be transparent with our incomes and not exploit or partake in corruption. The rest, we leave to the rakyat,” he said.
According to Saifuddin, Pakatan Harapan cabinet ministers' remunerations and allowances are exactly what was paid to BN ministers, minus 10 percent.
Harapan ministers, who are all also MPs, also enjoy the same allowances as MPs except for the attendance allowance of RM400 a day to attend parliamentary sittings, he added.
He said on top of MP allowances, the ministers can also claim the following on a monthly basis:
- Entertainment allowance: RM12,000
- Cabinet ministers allowance: RM4,000
- Housing allowance: RM4,000 (not claimable if residing in an official residence)
- Domestic helper allowance: RM2,500
- Driver allowance: RM2,500
These fixed allowances come up to RM25,000 a month.
They also have a vacation allowance, involving annual first or business class air travel for the minister and his/her spouse plus economy class air travel for children aged under 21.
Saifuddin said ministers can also claim a daily stipend and food allowance if they need to travel for work but said he could not recall the sum off-hand.
“It's not much and does not measure up to how tiring work travel is unless we’re talking about the foreign minister or international trade and industry minister whose duties involve travelling every month or those ministers who just enjoy travelling,” he quipped.
The other miscellaneous allowances for ministers are similar to what can be claimed by MPs, he added.
Not including allowances and after the 10 percent deduction, ministers are each paid RM13,400 a month in salary on top of RM16,000 monthly as MPs, he said.
BN ministers claimed about RM25k in monthly allowances
Saifuddin’s disclosure shines a light on something which thus far has been a matter of speculation for the public.
Ongoing trials involving former BN ministers have also been an avenue to get an idea of the allowances accorded to ministers.
Witnesses in court recently testified that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi collected RM26,215 in monthly allowances when he was deputy prime minister while Tengku Adnan Mansor collected RM24,320 a month in allowance as federal territories minister from 2013 to 2018.
The Treasury does not publish the amount in allowances paid to ministers, but it notes that one of its expenditures is "Elaun tetap yang dibayar kepada Perdana Menteri, Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Menteri, Timbalan Menteri, Setiausaha Parlimen dan Setiausaha Politik" ("Fixed allowances paid to the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister, Deputy Minister, Parliamentary Secretary and Political Secretary").
In contrast, allowances for MPs and for the speaker and deputy speakers of the upper and lower houses are available through Statute Papers published on the Parliament website.
All cabinet ministers, deputy ministers and political secretaries have also publicly declared their monthly incomes, allowances and assets via a website maintained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
For example, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad says he earns RM100,004.32 a month, including from investments and other non-official incomes.
According to Act 237, RM22,826.65 of that is his monthly pay, not including allowances.
What are Dewan Rakyat member allowances?
Unlike cabinet members, allowances for members of Parliament, as well as the speaker and deputy speakers of the upper and lower houses are also published via statute papers available on the Parliament website.
On top of the RM16,000 a month salary, Dewan Rakyat representatives are accorded a long list of allowances, including:
- Attendance for Parliamentary sittings - RM400 per day
- Attendance for government agency meetings or workshops - RM300 per day
- Entertainment allowance - RM2,500 per month
- Special payment - RM1,500 per month (except if the MP is member of the administration)
- Business class air travel allowance and first-class rail travel allowance
- Hotel allowance when overseas - standard room
- Hotel allowance when on domestic duty more than 32 km from home - no more than RM400 a night
- Daily stipend during business trips - RM100 a night (domestic), RM170 a night (international)
- Food allowance when overseas - RM340 a night
- Fixed travel allowance - RM1,500 per month
- Fuel allowance - RM1,500 per month
- Toll allowance - RM300 per month
- Driver allowance - RM1,500 per month
- Black-tie attire subsidy - RM1,500
Public demand for cuts in ministers’ allowances came after the Public Services Department announced it would no longer pay RM750 a month in critical allowance to newly-recruited doctors in the civil service.
It explained this was because critical allowances were introduced to attract new recruits to meet sectoral demands. This no longer applies for junior doctors because there is no longer a shortage, it said.
The critical allowance amount ranges between 5 to 15 percent based on the monthly base salary of the recipient, with nurses getting the highest amount (15 percent).
Following the cut, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman said he will not be claiming his vacation allowance and will continue with the 10 percent pay cut announced last year for all ministers. He also urged other pay cuts for ministers and politicians.
This afternoon, Syed Saddiq announced Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has agreed to postpone the critical allowance cut for doctors and discuss the matter further at the next cabinet meeting.
The Malaysian Medical Association has launched a petition urging the reinstatement of the critical allowance for junior doctors while the Health Ministry will meet with PSD to discuss the matter. - Mkini
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