Can politicians be super rich?

I am, personally, not sure about that, but let get this topic served on the table.

Politicians, as we randomly and roughly know, are "professionals" who can be in exorbitant shirts, sit at the back of luxurious cars driven by a specially-hired driver and bring two to three mobile phones in hands with shining watches on their wrists.

Where do they live? Of course, politicians don't rent a house like college students do and share it with others so that monthly rent can be equally paid.

And for sure, politicians don't eat instant noodles to survive from their day-to-day hungers.

The perception of "politicians are crazily rich" has been ingrained in our minds, and it seriously needs a straightforward explanation if it is derailed by inaccurate and prejudicial judgements.

Donald Trump, who was then a celebrity entrepreneur, had been a super rich man before being a politician after winning a presidential election that made him the world's unpleasant and hateful leader.

Trump's luxuries, as some say, can't be debated as his collections of expensive assets had been amassed many years ago. In fact, when he was campaigning for his presidential election, in a speech, he said, "I'll take 1 dollar salary as President."

Talking about salary, don't you think that politicians, especially those whose schedules mostly fixed with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, can only be having cashes withdrawn from their salary?

Unless if they have their own business enterprises operated for decades and largely-convenient family inheritances before becoming an "elected people's representative".

To some politicians, being fully transparent about their actual richnesses is, probably, something that is in their "unnecessary things to do" unlike giving political speeches with sweet and tasty promises to their believers.

But when they divulge their possessions—incomes and assets, they loudly boast to the world about their "transparency" and proudly claim that "we have nothing to hide." And it is aired on the TVs for a week.

Like many of us ask—is only declaring assets and incomes enough to say that a politician is transparent?

Or it is just a "visibility" to gain respects and make people believe that the politician exactly earns money in his capacity of "people's servant"?

Politicians, be it ministers, senators or parliamentarians, by nature, cannot be a millionaire. Apparently, they just get monthly salary and allowances. While retired politicians, like those who were defeated in their re-elections, earn pensions like many other retired government staff that you closely know.

Mysteries that surround politicians' super rich lifestyles can be delved by the politicians themselves or people that circle them, especially their wives. Only they know how the money pipelined to the politicians' bank accounts.

It is now too cliche to badmouth a politician's wealthiness with ugly things like corruption. Is corruption the one and only way for him to buy houses in London and silently travel to Dubai every month with his wives in their 30s?

It is not the people's fault if they are doubtful of politicians' lavish lifestyles. People, the voters, are the ones who are hardly struggling to breath in this world that hails dollars and cents for a happiness.

So, how could they be joyful (or grateful) whenever they see on social media that politicians or their kids and wives spend thousands of bucks just for a "casual dinner".

Where are you, elected politicians, when your voters have nothing to eat and sleep in a wooden cottage that is waiting for an uncertain time to diminish?

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* Amerul Azry Abdul Aziz is an independent writer who now views politics as something that can be researched.

** The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.