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To spend or not to spend: MPs' dilemma under lopsided allocation system

To spend or not to spend: MPs' dilemma under lopsided allocation system
To spend or not to spend: MPs' dilemma under lopsided allocation system

Debating in the Dewan Rakyat, officiating events, taking care of the poor’swelfare and repairing clogged drains and broken streetlights are among theexpectations that people have on their members of parliament (MPs). In the eyesof some Malaysians, their MPs are supposed to be a “superhero” who does all theabove and more.

These expectations are not surprising as it is a well-known fact that MPshave a relatively high salary as well as access to government allocations. Manypeople believe that an MP has access to large amounts of money and thereforethey can solve almost every problem.

However, is this perception of a Malaysian MP’s job true?

Malaysiakini interviewed several elected representatives from bothsides of the divide to get a better understanding of the expectations placed onan MP, their duties and responsibilities and more specifically, how they spendtheir salaries and allocations.


PLAY THE GAME: Spend Like an MP


Differences in allocation

Every MP is allotted a certain amount of funds for use to improve theirconstituency.

However, this amount differs between a government MP and an oppositionMP.

When Pakatan Harapan was in power, its MPs supposedly can apply for up toRM3.5 million in 2020, which is split into RM2 million for development purposeswhile the other RM1.5 million is for grant and donation purposes.

In 2020, East Malaysian backbencher MPs from Harapan were given anadditional RM500,000 on top of the RM3.5 million.

Every government MP also receives an additional RM300,000 allocation perannum, or RM25,000 a month, for their service centre’s expenses.

Meanwhile, for opposition MPs, they can only apply for up to RM100,000 ayear for their constituencies, and they do not receive any additionalallocation for their service centres.

This means that opposition MPs have to pay for the expenses of their servicecentres out of their own pocket.

Some BN MPs had cried foul over this matter during the Harapanadministration as the coalition did not provide funding to all MPs to run theirservice centres as promised in its election manifesto.

After Perikatan Nasional (PN) took over Putrajaya in early 2020, it isunclear how much allocation a government MP and an opposition MP would begetting 2021.

Many opposition MPs who spoke to Malaysiakini said they would have tospend part of their monthly salary to run their service centres in years tocome, such as paying for the centre’s rental and the wages of their staff.

“For me, the salary and allowances are enough, if that is your take-homepay.

“But if it includes the running of a service centre, then definitely it isnot enough. (An MP’s salary) should not include the running of a servicecentre, because it is a different thing.

“Without government allocation, it is very difficult to run our servicecentres,” said Tanjong Malim MP Chang Lih Kang.

Most of the opposition MPs who spoke to Malaysiakini said theexpenses of their service centres could run upwards of RM15,000 a month.

Only one opposition MP said their service centre expenses were less thanRM10,000 a month.

Some MPs have also said they will eventually have to fundraise to run theirservice centres next year.

Spend like an MP

With allocations of RM3.5 million (government MPs) and RM100,000 (oppositionMPs), how do MPs find ways to utilise the funds for their constituency?

For the record, MPs are not given their allocation in a lump sum; instead,they have to apply to the government for specific purposes they intend to usethe allocation for, which will then be vetted and approved by the relevantagencies.

Based on Malaysiakini’s interviews, government MPs who have moreallocations can afford to apply for larger development projects like buildingcommunity centres, a futsal court and even small roads for rural areas.

Julau MP Larry Sng
Julau MP Larry Sng

For example, Julau MP Larry Sng, whose constituency is a rural area, saidhis allocation back when he was a government MP was used to build or improveroads or to assist in repairing longhouses and building suspension bridges.

Lumut MP Hatta Ramli also said he managed to apply for an allocation tobuild a futsal court in his constituency to promote a healthier lifestylebefore the Harapan government fell in February this year.

MPs from both sides also used their allocations to provide grants tonon-government organisations, associations or schools, which are then used forcommunity-enriching purposes like running sports tournaments, holding healthtalks and so on.

Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii said he prefers to use his allocation to focuson his priorities of health and education in his constituency such as holdingtalks to raise awareness on mental health and providing grants to schools.

Padang Rengas MP Nazri Aziz
Padang Rengas MP Nazri Aziz

Meanwhile, for four-term Padang Rengas MP Nazri Aziz, he said he usuallyleaves the handling of his allocation to a committee in his Umno division inthe constituency.

“I leave it to my action committee… to decide on projects we should financein my division.

“They know how to allocate proportionately,” he toldMalaysiakini.

Salaries not just for themselves

Back in April 2015, the monthly salary of MPs increased to RM16,000 from theprevious RM6,508.59 after the amendment to the Members of Parliament(Remuneration) Act 1980 was passed in the Dewan Rakyat.

Aside from their salary, MPs also enjoy allowances and can make claims forseveral types of allowances, including meeting, entertainment, special payment,monthly travelling, driver, and meals, among others.

According to the Members of Parliament (Remuneration) Act 1980, the totalsalary MPs would receive, including allowances, amounts to RM25,700 amonth.

MPs would not be elected in the first place without the support of theirparty, and as such, they have to contribute a portion of their salary to theirparty. This varies among the different parties, but it usually ranges between15 percent to 25 percent of their take-home salary.

Some opposition MPs told Malaysiakini they end up with only a smallamount of personal savings every month after paying their party contributions,their service centre expenses and their own financial commitments and dailyliving expenses.

On the other hand, Nazri said he uses his salary and allowances to pay forhis staff or the running of his Umno division in Padang Rengas.

“All the allowance for staff, such as researchers or my driver, I don’t takeat all. They (salary and allowances) go to the staff.

“My salary is (also) used to pay for electricity and the Umno staff. Themoney goes into my account, and then it goes to my staff in Parliament and thestaff in Padang Rengas,” he said.

Nazri said before he joined politics, he was a lawyer and businessman, so hehas enough personal savings to sustain his monthly expenditures.

All the MPs Malaysiakini spoke to also said they have to use theirown money to give direct cash aid to their constituents.

Sometimes it would be for constituents who visit their service centresasking for aid for various reasons, such as medical expenses or helping theelderly.

Other times, they contribute a small amount when they attend funerals,weddings or other programmes in their respective constituencies.

In the “Spend Like an MP” game, Malaysiakini asksreaders to earn as many popularity points as possible while maintaining theirfinances.

While there is a perception that handing out allocation and direct financialaid could serve to garner popularity among the rakyat, the MPs have said it isnot as simple as that.

Sng said these allocations and financial aid had become something that isexpected by their constituents, and it is often going the extra mile thatleaves a more positive impression on the people.

“There are two emotions. One is people’s expectations, which is the bareminimum. For example, helping to pay for someone’s medical expenses.

“It is also part of the culture as people are not rich. Pakan (a stateconstituency under Julau) is the poorest district in all of Malaysia.

“They expect their MPs to solve their problems and not add to their burden.Everyone expects something (from the MPs) because all MPs are providing thesame things.

“Beyond that is the ‘wow’ factor. Doing something the people did notexpect,” he explained.

Tanjong Malim MP Chang Lih Kang
Tanjong Malim MP Chang Lih Kang

Chang said the rakyat are also smart enough not to base their support solelyon the amount of allocation or the financial aid spent by an MP, especially foropposition MPs.

“They know the opposition does not have much allocation,” he said.

All the MPs from both sides of the divide also said the intention of aidingtheir constituents is not to buy their support but to address the problemsfaced by the rakyat directly.

The MPs also said it is more important to be visible in their constituenciesand to connect to their constituents on a more personal level.

Multiple roles of an MP

In Malaysia, there are many expectations placed on an MP to not onlylegislate in the Dewan Rakyat but also to help their constituents directly withtheir allocations and salaries.

But some believe that this is not the way things should be.

For many of the MPs from Pakatan Harapan who spoke to Malaysiakini,they believe that an MP’s role should focus on being a legislator inParliament, instead of handling large sums of allocations for theirconstituency.

“If we are serious legislators, we should be holding consultations and townhall meetings with our constituents," Chang said.

“We need to convey to them about the laws that have passed; we need toresearch the bills in Parliament, put in motions and maybe even PrivateMembers’ Bills, which requires a lot of research.

“A substantial amount of time is spent dealing with allocation which is notvery meaningful."

Yii believes that handling allocation for the development of theirconstituencies should not be part of an MP’s job, but rather it should be theduty of either the local council, the state government or the federalgovernment.

“In principle, I believe that MPs should only be given money to run theiroffice and maybe some welfare money.

“But in terms of infrastructure and things like that, that should come underthe different layers of government,” he said.

Chang also prefers for all MPs to have zero allocation so that they canfocus on their role as a legislator.

This would also solve the issue of the difference in allocation betweengovernment MPs and opposition MPs, he said.

Instead, he said, the funds should be channelled to local councils so thatthey can better address the local issues in the constituencies.

“More funds should be channelled to elected local councillors because allthis while, they have been doing the work (of addressing local issues).

“If every single MP does not have an allocation, that would solve theproblem (of the differences in funding).

“Either you give equal allocation to all MPs or none at all. I prefer thesecond option,” he said.

Lumut MP Hatta Ramli
Lumut MP Hatta Ramli

While Hatta also agrees that ideally, an MP’s role should purely be as alegislator, he recognises that the reality is different.

He wished that he would be re-elected based on his performance in the DewanRakyat, but he said the reality is that his performance back in hisconstituency is far more important.

“In an ideal situation, an MP’s main role should be as legislators, but inMalaysia, the definition is different.

“This is especially so under the Westminster parliamentary system, where theconstituents select us, so you are representing your constituency.

“I still believe our role should be as legislators and we must be astute indebating and designing laws for the country,” Hatta said.

Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming and Sng differ from their colleagues on this matter,saying that the allocation provided by the government to the MPs do play animportant role.

“There are other needs which an MP needs to take care of in his or herconstituency.

“The allocations are often a way to address needs of voters more directlywithout going through too much bureaucracy,” Ong said.

For Ong, whose constituency has the largest number of voters in Malaysia, heconsiders his allocation of RM100,000 a year as insufficient to address theneeds of his constituents.

Sng, who represents a rural constituency in Sarawak, believes thatgovernment allocation has a big impact in servicing a rural constituency.

He said this is because rural areas do not have the type of developmentsalready present in most urban constituencies and hence, the need for an MP toprovide direct allocation into infrastructure developments in a rural area ismuch greater.

Nazri, meanwhile, believes that an MP should work for the people because itis the people who voted for them to be their elected representative.

“It is very important for me to service my constituents. At the end of theday, the question is ‘what does my MP do for me? Is he nice to me?’

“We have our own standards in Malaysia. Do not think like the Europeans orthe Americans,” he said.

In the US and some European democracies, the elected representatives at thefederal level are purely legislators who focus on their duties in theirCongress or Parliament.

Local councils can do more

Some MPs have said that the local councils should have a larger role to playin addressing local issues which have become part of an MP’sresponsibility.

In order to facilitate this, Hatta said local council elections would fostera stronger sense of responsibility among local councillors in addressing theneeds of the areas they serve.

“Things such as clogged drains and so on, it should be done by the localcouncillors, not an MP.

“If the current local authorities are always on their toes and reactingfast, they can do this.

“If there are local elections, their sense of responsibility would bestronger,” he said.

Nazri also acknowledged that civil servants who are appointed as localcouncillors would have less attachment to the districts they serve.

However, he believes that local council elections would become toopoliticised.

“If there is politics at the lowest level, it will become too racialised,too polarising, and it would be too much cost as well,” he said.

If a district has a majority of one race, the local elections could resultin all local councillors being of one race, he explained.

Not only that, but he said an MP also has more influence than localcouncillors to pressure district officers to address local issues.

Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin
Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin

Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin had pushed forlocal government elections during her time serving under the Pakatan Harapanadministration.

However, Zuraida – who is now serving her second stint as housing and localgovernment minister under the PN administration – has since U-turned on theissue, saying that the government will not hold local government elections.

PN government allies from Umno, PAS and GPS had earlier voiced oppositiontowards the idea, and Zuraida had later conceded that she would drop the ideaif Putrajaya said no.

With legislators still deeply divided over the issue, it seems there isstill a long way to go before Malaysia sees any changes to an MP’s role.