Opposition pact urges Selangor to review pay rise decision

Leaders of the opposition pact have urged the Selangor Menteri Besar to review the pay rise of its state assemblymen which was approved at the Selangor State Assembly last week.

Opposition Chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the state government, specifically Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, must take into account the criticism of the people who were unhappy with the decision.

"We agree (to the pay rise)...the amount (rate in the pay increase) can be reduced before it is implemented," he told reporters at his office in Parliament after chairing a meeting of the opposition pact here, Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Abdul Khalid announced a pay rise of between 87 to 373 per cent involving the menteri besar, exco, speaker, deputy speaker and state assemblymen, effective Jan 1.

Anwar, who is also Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser, said in principle, the opposition pact leadership line-up agreed to the raise although it received criticism from Barisan Nasional (BN) elected representatives.

Meanwhile, Johor Baharu Member of Parliament Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad questioned the process used by the Selangor Government in raising the salary and allowances of its elected representatives.

"Otherwise, the Gombak Member of Parliament Mohd Azmin Ali, who is also a Selangor state assemblyman, would not have protested," he told a media conference at the Parliament lobby.

Prior to this, Mohd Azmin, who is also PKR deputy president and Bukit Antarabangsa state assemblyman, wanted the state government to postpone the salary hike.