Rafidah Aziz: Cut ministers’ salaries, allowances by 20 per cent

SHAH ALAM - Former International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz suggests that the government should immediately consider cutting the allowances and salaries of cabinet ministers by 20 per cent.

She said the government should prioritise the move to show empathy towards the people of this country as they were struggling to face the challenges of the worsening economic crisis, starting with the Covid-19 pandemic followed by the implications of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Rafidah said the current government should emulate the approach of the former government cabinet which made the initiative to cut ministers’ allowances when the country faced any form of crisis.

“I propose that the salary (allowance) of the cabinet be cut by 20 per cent when the country is facing an ‘overlapping’ economic crisis at this time.

“During our time, the action to cut the salary (allowance) of the minister was the earliest (move) implemented when a crisis hit the country.

“We agreed with the proposal and made it a cabinet decision. There is no compulsion for us to accept it, in fact, it is done out of empathy for the plight of the people,” she said in an exclusive interview with Sinar Premium here yesterday.

She said this to comment on the government’s response to the issue of the rising cost of living, the threat of food security and the problem of hyperinflation that has plagued the country following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict over the past few months.

For Rafidah, if an empathetic decision such as the initiative to cut ministers’ allowances was enforced immediately, the people would feel that government leaders understood their plights and were willing to experience the people’s difficulties in the face of the ‘overlapping’ economic crisis.

“If the rate of deduction for the minister’s allowance is made at 20 per cent, the value deducted from the total RM69,000 value of the monthly allowance received by the minister is nothing much.

“It shows that the government is realistic and willing to make sacrifices. Although the sacrificial initiative does not have a direct impact on the people, at least there is empathy shown to them,” she said.

Rafidah, who is also the Chairman of AirAsiaX, also expressed frustration with government-linked companies (GLCs) such as FGV Holdings Berhad which allegedly proposed an increase in the annual allowance rate for the chairman and board members at a time when the people are facing difficulties in earning a living.

“People are having a hard time, GLC wants to propose an increase in the chairman’s salary? As the Chairman of AirAsiaX, I also had to abide by the annual allowance cut of up to 20 per cent.

“The action of the company’s top management to increase their salaries (allowances) shows as if they have no empathy for the people.

“If FGV Holdings can do that, in the future, other GLCs will do the same,” she said.