Towards unity: Anwar and Ahmad Zahid gesturing during the Perak Unity Government Convention. — RONNIE CHIN/The Star
Elected reps may have to make a little sacrifice in future
IPOH: Those who become elected representatives in the next general election may have to accept a pension-free scheme, says the Prime Minister.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said those enlisting as candidates should be prepared to go without a pension should they win.
“I don’t agree that politicians should be excluded, but as usual I will present this view when we study the abolition of the retirement scheme,” he said in closing the Perak Unity Government Convention at a hotel here yesterday.
Anwar reiterated that the proposed abolition of the pension scheme should apply to politicians and not just civil servants.
He said his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the Bandar Tun Razak MP and former deputy prime minister, had agreed to choose only one pension.
“Azizah was a former government doctor, assemblyman in Selangor and MP. She told me that she would only choose one (pension),” said Anwar, who is the Tambun MP.
“Some former ministers or prime ministers have three or four pensions from the government as assemblymen, MPs and ministers. From a moral point of view, they should choose only one,” he added.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had on Wednesday announced the proposed new pension scheme for the civil service.
Under the proposal, new civil servants will contribute to retirement schemes like the Employees’ Provident Fund and Social Welfare Organisation (Socso).
On another matter, Anwar claimed more Perikatan Nasional MPs would abandon the coalition due to its failed promises to topple the unity government.
He said Perikatan had tried to topple the government but were unsuccessful.
“I believe more MPs from Perikatan will lose confidence due to the empty talk. One by one, they will leave the coalition,” he added.
Anwar said his Cabinet had never thought of Perikatan’s attempts to topple the government as an issue.
“I was confident that it was not a problem. It was just a perception played up by the Opposition,” he said, adding that the Opposition even tried to stir up racial sentiments, but the unity government remained undeterred.
