PETALING JAYA: A Pakatan Harapan MP has called on the government to review the minimum wage increment immediately, citing the RM50 bump as an "insult to 15 million labourers in Malaysia".
Klang MP Charles Santiago said he was shocked over the recent announcement, adding that it contradicted PH's manifesto.
"Anyone who goes to the wet markets, where prices are supposed to be way cheaper than supermarkets, or walks into a clinic for a common cold would know that no one can live on RM262.50 a week," he said in a statement.
Charles noted that if the minimum wage were to be reviewed every two years, it would still be impossible for the government to raise the minimum wage to RM1,500 within the next five years.
He also pointed out according to the Bank Negara 2017 Annual Report, the expenditure of the bottom 40% (B40) of Malaysian households expanded at a faster pace compared to their income.
"Looking into the low wage conundrum, it proposed a living wage benchmark to allow for an acceptable living standard," Charles said, adding that Bank Negara estimated the living wage in Kuala Lumpur in 2016 to be about RM2,700 for a single adult, RM4,500 for a couple without children and RM6,500 for a couple with two children.
