Malaysian ministers’ perks under scrutiny as Mahathir delays cuts to civil service cash allowance

Malaysia’s government came under fire after a decision to cut allowances for newly hired civil servants such as doctors

Cabinet ministers were urged to lead by example, after it emerged they receive cash perks of US$6,000 a month, plus first class flights as part of a holiday allowance

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Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has delayed a decision to cut allowances for newly hired doctors and other professionals from “critical” civil service sectors. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:30pm, 27 Dec 2019Updated: 8:33pm, 27 Dec 2019

Cushy perks enjoyed by Malaysia’s cabinet ministers came into focus on Friday as citizens compared those privileges with the government’s now-delayed plan to save costs by cutting allowances for newly hired civil servants in “critical” professions such as medicine.

The Public Service Department (PSD) earlier defended the decision announced last week to scrap the allowances for new recruits in 33 affected professions starting January 1, but Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad stayed the move following signs of dissent in his cabinet and as a doctors’ petition garnered over 90,000 signatures.

Late on Thursday, the PSD said the allowance was never meant to be permanent and was implemented in 1992 as a way to attract more talent to the 33 sectors. It said the incentive was no longer needed as the number of applicants in these sectors outstripped the number of jobs available.

But on Friday, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman – one of two ministers who questioned the decision in public – said Mahathir had agreed to postpone the allowance cuts until the next cabinet meeting.

Syed Saddiq bin Syed Abdul Rahman, Minister of Youth and Sports, confirmed the allowance cuts had been postponed. Photo: SCMP

Meanwhile, with online commenters demanding that ministers cut their own allowances before cutting those accorded to civil servants, one minister revealed to local news website Malaysiakini that he and his cabinet colleagues enjoy cash perks amounting to 25,000 ringgit (US$6,000) a month.

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