Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has called it unfair for politicians to receive lifetime pensions and is advocating for Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributions instead.
This is especially when considering how civil servants have to toil for decades before obtaining a small amount for their pension, he said in response to Kini News Lab’s two-part series examining MP pensions and allowances.
“I’ve actually gone one step forward.
“Even before this parliamentary session, I not only raised this issue in Parliament but I also put forward a private member’s bill to remove pensions from politicians, including myself, and to transition to an EPF scheme,” he told Malaysiakini.
A private member’s bill is a proposed law brought by a private member of Parliament who is not part of the government.
Syed Saddiq opined that it was unjust and immoral for politicians to enjoy a lifetime pension from the first time they are elected when the government is transitioning civil servants away from pensions.
Despite his position in the opposition, Syed Saddiq said he would be the first to support any proposed laws from the government on the matter if his private member’s bill is rejected.
“And that also means supporting the removal of my own pension,” he added.
The Kini News Lab report estimated Syed Saddiq’s pension at RM18,582 as the former youth and sports minister and Muar MP since 2018.
New civil service remuneration system
On June 4, it was reported that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said only 29 percent of Malaysians have a pension or pension-like income during retirement.
In January, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed that Putrajaya was planning a new recruitment policy for the civil service, which will introduce non-pensionable permanent employment.
At the same time, Anwar called for politicians holding several portfolios or positions in the government to be “morally responsible” and opt for only one pension scheme.
He said existing civil servants and politicians eligible for pensions will not be affected by the newly proposed public service remuneration system.
Previously, Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Armizan Mohd Ali told Parliament that elected representatives could receive multiple pensions depending on their service under different acts, ordinances or enactments.
However, Anwar said the cabinet would only finalise the matter after looking into feedback from various parties and studies involving aspects of the Federal Constitution. - Mkini
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