Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said politicians or government employees who receive several pensions should fulfil their moral responsibility by choosing just one pension scheme.
He said this is because there are former ministers, menteri besar and government officers who are entitled to three to four pensions.
“It’s just that from the moral aspect, those earning minister’s or menteri besar’s salaries, or civil servants who get three or four pensions, could perhaps look at the situation and fulfil their moral responsibility by forgoing the other pensions and just choose one. It’s up to them,” he said.
Anwar was commenting on a statement by the Council of Former Elected Representatives (Mubarak), who believes that the monthly payment given to former elected representatives be continued since the payment is the government’s contribution to those who had been elected representatives, or called gratuity.
Mubarak also urged that the civil servant pension scheme be continued.
Anwar said any measures or proposals to abolish the pension scheme for elected representatives and ministers would require amendments to the Federal Constitution.
“The Federal Constitution does not allow us to change anything that has previously been agreed upon. What we want to start is a new rule that can come into force for new positions.
“This includes political positions, that’s the proposal we will present to the Cabinet and in Parliament because it involves several amendments. So, we cannot just terminate what is existing because it is tied to the agreement in the law and also guaranteed under the constitution,” he said.
