JOHOR BARU: A former Johor state assemblyman has voiced his disagreement with the Council of Former Elected Representatives (Mubarak), which wanted the monthly payment given to former elected representatives to be continued.
Former Maharani assemblyman Song Sing Kwee said that the majority of the former MP’s and state assemblymen have not contributed to society for years.
“There are cases of politicians with more than one pension, such as Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang.
“Some have pensions for being a former MP, state assemblyman, former Mentri Besar, and former Prime Minister, which can add up to thousands of ringgit for doing nothing.
“The money could have been used to pay those looking for jobs and starting their journey into the civil service,” he said during a press conference at the Johor South Chinese Press clubhouse here, on Tuesday (Jan 30).
Song added that the elected representative also received a lot of allowances during their stint and other benefits that come with the position.
“There are also those who have other jobs while still receiving their pension, which is unfair.
“If they really wanted to help the people, they should give away their monthly pension to the hard-core poor who are struggling to buy daily necessities,” he added.
Earlier, on Jan 26, Mubarak president Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Rahman was reported to have said that former elected representatives should continue to receive remuneration after completing their term of service.
