Selangor ‘showing off’ with pay hike, PAS ulama chief suggests

(MM) – As criticism continued to pour in over Selangor’s generous pay raises for its lawmakers and administrators, PAS ulama chief Datuk Harun Taib has labelled the state government’s move as “showing off”.

But the head of the Islamist party’s cleric conceded that the decision, which will see some in the Selangor state assembly take home 300 per cent more in salaries before allowances, was not wrong if the government had excess in funds.

“I don’t want to interfere in their affairs, it’s up to them how much they want to increase the pay or allowances.

“It’s not wrong if they have a lot of money, they want to ‘act’ (a colloquial expression for flaunting). It may be from their budget surplus, so leave it be,” he was quoted as saying by the weekend edition of Utusan Malaysia.

The Selangor state assembly announced on Thursday salary increases to elected representatives that would see their pay nearly double, from RM6,000 to RM11,250, starting January 1.

The Speaker’s monthly pay was more than tripled from RM6,109 to RM22,500, while the deputy Speaker’s salary more than quadrupled from RM3,327 to RM15,750.

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who will see his pay rise from RM14,175 to RM29,250, also gave a 231-per cent pay hike to his state executive councillors, from RM6,109 to RM20,250.

Following public outcry over salary increases, PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday the party’s state assemblymen will channel part of their wages to a fund for education.

Although saying he had discussed the issue with Khalid, Anwar’s remarks today appeared to lean towards the view of protégé Azmin Ali, who criticised the increase as “too high”.

Despite the criticisms, Khalid was adamant on pushing ahead with the salary increases.

Instead, he told representatives unhappy with their windfall to simply donate their newfound funds.

The Selangor MB has so far remained mum on the matter but claimed he will issue a joint-statement with Anwar soon.

PR retained Selangor in Election 2013 with a stronger majority under Khalid’s administration, after the country’s most-developed state fell from Barisan Nasional’s (BN) grasp for the first time in the tsunami of the 2008 general election.

Khalid, however, was previously criticised by Anwar over his purportedly tight-fisted management of Selangor’s reserves that touched RM2.8 billion in May 2013.