Cut costs in your dept, PM urged

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak should walk the talk by shaving expenditure in his own backyard and not create new, expensive agencies.

Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming said in a statement that the PM who is also the Finance Minister announced in the budget the setting up of a new Green Foundation (Yayasan Hijau) and the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Center (MAGIC).

“The expenditure allocated to the Prime Minister’s Department has increased from RM14.6 billion this year to a projected RM16.5 billion next year, an increase of 13 percent,” Ong said.

He also said the employment of many contract staff on very high wages, especially in the Prime Minister’s Department, has increased government expenditure significantly over the past four years.

“I was informed that the yearly salary, allowance and the bonus of the chief executive officer (CEO) of Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM) was RM830,500 which works out to about a monthly salary of RM69,000.

“The CEO of the Land Transport Commission or SPAD was paid a yearly salary of RM480,000 (RM40,000 monthly), a yearly allowance of RM162,000 and a bonus of RM60,000 which gives a yearly salary totalling RM622,000.

“The CEO of TalentCorp receives a monthly salary of RM30,000 and a monthly car allowance of RM5,000 which works out to a yearly salary of RM420,000,” Ong pointed out after receiving a parliamentary reply this month.

GLC CEOs earn more than Chief Secretary

The DAP leader also highlighted that these CEOs monthly salaries are higher than the monthly salary of the highest paid civil servant, which is the Chief Secretary (Ketua Setiausaha Negara) who draws a maximum monthly salary of RM23,577.

He also pointed out that other agencies such as Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda), the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC), the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA), the Malaysian Industry Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), the Unit Peneraju Agenda Bumiputera (Teraju) and the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu).

“Not only are the CEOs of these agencies paid salaries that are higher than their civil servant equivalents, the staff of these agencies – many of whom are contract staff and not government servants – also received salaries higher than civil servant equivalent salaries.

“For example, a director at Pemandu, which is equivalent to a Jusa A/B civil servant has a maximum salary of RM49,000 a month, an associate director at Pemandu, which is equivalent to a Jusa C civil servant has a maximum salary of RM31,600 a month and a senior manager which is equivalent to a Grade 54 civil servant has a maximum salary of RM21,000 a month,” Ong said.