PROBLEMS AND WEAKNESS EXPOSED - LAWS NEEDED TO PREVENT REPEAT OF ABUSES BY NEW GOVERNMENT...Fixing maximum incomes, no other income other than income of Minister, MP,civil servants?,....
Malaysians are happy with all the investigations and actions concerning 1MDB, kleptocracy and corrupt practices that have been carried out that has led to the charging of personalities with political power and connections...including the Prime Minister, his spouse and others..
We have been shocked about the excessive amounts of monies that have been paid out to even public servants from our monies, and for the CEOs and upper managements, including Directors. The principle should be that public servants, including Ministers and Members of Parliaments, who get appointed as Directors and/or 'Advisory Boards' of government companies and GLCs(Government Linked Companies), or even any Government Commissions/Councils/etc really should NOT BE PAID more than the salary/allowances that they now receive as public servants/MP/ADUN/Ministers for this is all part of their job...and their responsibilities already. [Remember MPs already get a salary of RM16,000(and with their allowances, it could be double that)]
As a principle, even if monies, be it salary/allowances payable to Directors of Companies, then rightly that monies should flow back to the government coffers to be used for all Malaysians.
Now, what is seriously needed is LEGISLATIVE REFORMS that will make it easier for the stopping of such actions of kleptocracy, corruption, abuse of power, etc. There must be a LAW that dictates also salaries/allowances paid out to government owned companies employeees, CEOs, Directors - which will prevent excessive salary/allowances. Maximum salaries or a pay-scale for Government Owned and GLCs should be fixed.
It is common for PRIVATE companies to 'flow-out' a lot of monies as salaries/allowances to persons connected to the majority shareholders, and their family members/friends who are made employees and/or Directors, which cuts into profits - and affects the returns of their investors/shareholders > Well, that is none of our business BUT when it comes to government-owned companies and GLCs, it is our business > as it can be said, that the people of Malaysia are being 'CHEATED' by such practices...
What makes it worse, when the 'public servants' including MPs/ADUNs/Senators and even other 'political appointees' appointed to really make sure that there is NO HANKY PANKY in such companies get confused of their roles and loyalties. The payment of salaries/allowances and other 'benefits' from the company confuses LOYALTIES - Should I object to such decisions/practices that impacts on the Malaysian people's monies/rights...or Should I simply 'pocket' these monies and enjoy these 'benefits' bestowed for my own benefit?
SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE is the primary object - not personal enrichment or enjoyment of additional benefits? It was sad to hear about the case of Zuraidah, an MP who used her 'additional benefits' to purchase cars for her family members...because she may have considered it 'foolish' to not utilize benefits provided. [PKR's Zuraida Kamaruddin reveals disturbing concerns ...which PKR,DAP,PAS ...must explain?]
Anwar Ibrahim revealed recently that top-civil servants were being paid too high about RM250,000 per month (and plus allowances and other incomes from Directorships, etc which under UMNO-BN possibly went to the pockets of the said civil servants as well), they could be earning so much more. BUT, to date, we have not seen what the NEW government will do - Monthly salaries/income rates need to be set, to possibly never more than RM16,000(being salaries of MPs now), and certainly no additional income by being appointed Directors and/or other positions, which is part of their job.
“There were government servants who earned up to RM250,000 a month. The treasury secretary-general earned up to RM260,000 a month,” Anwar told a ceramah in Lukut, Port Dickson.
RM260,000 is equivalent to what a Minimum Wage worker will earn in more than 2 years - it is so unjust. How much more did he earn as Directors of so many companies ...(when really, there should be no other earnings other than his salary/allowance as civil servant?)
During the Election Campaign, Anwar spoke about this unjustice - but then sadly, he did not again propose what the REFORMS will be. Should the highest civil servant salary be capped at RM16,000? Should civil servants not be entitled to receiving additional monies for doing their job including sitting as Directors in Companies, representing the government? As a policy, civil servants must be full-time, not divide their time holding other paid positions. In Thailand, one past Prime Minister was removed from office because he received 'monies'/payment from other sources other than salary/allowance payable to a Prime Minister - will Malaysia have such a clear policy/law as well. This will certainly prevent possible 'corruption', etc..
All these excessive and unjust payments deprive Malaysians much needed monies that could be used to minimize poverty...
“While the others that served were only getting a RM40 raise yearly, these guys were earning up to RM250,000,” Anwar said.
Interestingly, Anwar also revealed that minimal wage increments for civil servants was RM40, surely than it would be just if Minimum Wages are also increased annually by at least RM40...? Just a thought - noting that Minimum Wage obligations should really differ based on regions and also employers(maybe lower Minimum Wage for small employers in small towns and rural areas that make little profits...)
EXPOSING WRONGS IS ONE THING ...NOW WHAT DO WE DO TO MAKE SURE IT DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN???
Top civil servants earned up to RM260,000 a month under BN, says Anwar
TOP level civil servants during the
Barisan Nasional era used to take home over quarter a million ringgit
per month, claimed Anwar Ibrahim.
The Port Dickson by-election candidate said even the treasury
secretary-general earned RM260,000 a month, which indicated the level of
corruption during former prime minister Najib Razak’s administration.
“There were government servants who earned up to RM250,000 a month.
The treasury secretary-general earned up to RM260,000 a month,” Anwar
told a ceramah in Lukut, Port Dickson.
The last treasury secretary-general under the BN government was Mohd
Irwan Serigar Abdullah, who resigned after BN lost in the recent
election.
The PKR president-elect added that while most of lower-tier
government servants saw little salary increments yearly, these top-level
officers earned millions a year.
“While the others that served were only getting a RM40 raise yearly, these guys were earning up to RM250,000,” Anwar said.
He went on to say that is why he and current prime minister Dr
Mahathir Mohamad teamed up to defeat the BN government in the 14th
general elections.
“That is why Dr Mahathir and I came together. He and I wanted to fix
things. We came together because the country was destroyed,” Anwar
added.
The former deputy prime minister said helping Malaysians should be
based on needs and not by race, which has been practiced previously.
“The majority of Malays and Bumiputera are still suffering. What is
wrong with helping poor Malays? If Chinese are poor, when we help are we
wrong? The Indians in the estate, when we help is it wrong?”
The 71-year-old is contesting in Port Dickson against six other
candidates, including former menteri besar Isa Samad, PAS’ air force
veteran Mohd Nazari Mokhtar and four independents, including Anwar’s
former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
Anwar reiterated that he would develop Port Dickson and bring back tourism to the seaside town.
He said Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told him in a
recent meeting that his late father Lee Kuan Yew used to bring him to
Port Dickson for holidays when he was younger.
“I met the Singapore PM, he tweeted me good luck. He told me when he was small, Lee Kuan Yew brought him here.
“See, Port Dickson is famous for people in Kuala Lumpur and even Singapore as well.”
Anwar said three people had offered to give up their seats for him.
“Three people had written to me to give up their seats. One of them
is from the north, one from central and one from the south. But, for
certain reasons I chose Port Dickson,” he said without disclosing the
reason.
Voters when met in the ceramah grounds were positive that Anwar would
bring progress to Port Dickson as he was a potential prime minister.
Gan Tuan Wong, 48, said Anwar brings stability that has continued
from Pakatan Harapan’s victory during the 14th general elections.
“We want him to win, we want this area to develop. We want him to
continue the succession. We voted for PH to see a change for Malaysia,”
the contractor told The Malaysian Insight.
Trader Murizan Mohammad said Anwar should live up to his promises when he becomes the Port Dickson MP and even prime minister.
“If he becomes prime minister. He has a responsibility to the people,
especially those in Port Dickson who voted for him,” he said. – October 3, 2018, Malaysian Insight
Irwan Siregar’s 20 directorships: How effective can he be, asks DAP
PETALING
JAYA: The finance ministry recently confirmed that the country’s
treasurer-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah is on the board of at
least 20 government entities and government-linked companies (GLCs).
This has raised all sorts of questions, including if Irwan would be able to play his multifaceted roles effectively.
Another issue worth highlighting, as Seputeh MP Teresa Kok posed in
her parliamentary question to the finance ministry in the Dewan Rakyat
last week, was how much is Irwan being paid.
According to a high-ranking officer in a GLC, who spoke to FMT on
condition of anonymity, a non-executive director doesn’t usually
receive a fixed salary.
They do however, receive monthly renumeration and allowances for
among other things, the meetings they participate in, which usually take
place every two or three months, said the officer.
The finance ministry did not reveal the amount paid to Irwan, but
said that the payment is “in line with the responsibility and risk
undertaken (by him) as a director”.
Kok, however, told FMT that some GLCs provide meeting allowances of up to RM3,000 per attendance.
DAP’s national publicity secretary Tony Pua on the other hand, said
Irwan should be the one to disclose how much he is making from these
directorships.
Though in principle, “if his position as a treasurer-general requires
him to sit on the Board of the GLCs, then he should not be collecting
fees from these companies”, Pua told FMT.
’20 is just too many’
While most people have no problem multi-tasking, some may say that
taking on so much responsibility would stretch a person too thin.
“How can a person hold so many director posts? Being a
secretary-general in a ministry he is already so busy. So how can he
play his director’s role effectively in so many GLCs?” Kok asked.
Ramon Navaratnam who served in the Treasury for nearly 30 years, expressed the same views.
He said 20 directorships are “just too many” and this, can ultimately
affect Irwan’s ability to spend quality time and give sufficient
attention to the issues brought to him.
“There should be a limit imposed for someone like the finance
ministry secretary-general, who is fully involved in all government
matters that have financial and economic implications.
“Which means the whole system,” he said to FMT.
Irwan was appointed as 1MDB chairman in May 2016. A year later he was
made the head of Bandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd and TRX City Sdn Bhd, which
are two of state-owned 1MDB’s ongoing projects.
On top of that, Irwan is the chairman of Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP)
and the Inland Revenue Board. He also sits on the board of directors in
Petronas, Khazanah Nasional, Lembaga Tabung Haji, Bank Negara Malaysia,
as well as Malaysian Airline System Berhad (MAS), among others.
But with the troubles some of these companies are already in, placing
a man with too many responsibilities at the very top of a score of
decision-making committees may not be a wise decision.
Navaratnam agreed, and said the government’s failure to delegate is the reason for its major problems and leakages.
“There is inadequate scrutiny and supervision. And we’ve had many big elephants in the room on this matter, such as 1MDB.”
No checks and balances
Pua, who is also Petaling Jaya Utara MP, said the same.
“The bigger problem is the fact that these directorships are often
treated as a cushy opportunity to collect easy fees as extra income.
“While I sat in the Public Accounts Committee since 2008, we have
reviewed so many ministry officials in these GLCs who failed to perform
any checks and balance in the board, to ensure that the government’s
funds are properly utilised.”
The practice of placing politicians at the head of a GLC or
government agency is not unusual with the ruling Barisan Nasional
government.
These include among many others, Umno’s Baling MP Abdul Azeez Abdul
Rahim who is the chairman of Lembaga Tabung Haji, Johor Bharu MP Shahrir
Samad as chairman of Felda, and Lenggong MP Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, who
is chairman of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN).
But with politicians helming the GLCs, the government may find it
difficult to sincerely claim that it has practised good governance.
This is especially when one of the key elements to any successful administration is transparency.
“It will only be good governance if the officers appointed as directors perform their functions dutifully,” Pua said. -FMT News, 6/8/2017
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