UNDESERVING and overpaid.

So why pay MPs a pension? Get them to subscribe to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and make monthly contribution like the rest of the working rakyat.

This seems to be the overriding sentiment that MPs are too heavily compensated for being public servants.

There is also a commonly held view that too many play truant with images of empty seats in the Dewan Rakyat leading to citizens questioning their whereabouts.

This was precisely the issue brought up in a post on X (formerly Twitter) by political observer Khalid Karim of Arise Malaysia.

He postulated that instead of MPs qualifying for a pension after serving three terms, perhaps it could be revised to a minimum of one full term albeit with the proviso that that they register 100% attendance for parliamentary sittings.

The suggestion sparked a lively debate. This is a sample of the comments with the vast majority demanding to know what exactly justifies MPs being privy to any sort of pension.

Many were angered by politicians’ hypocrisy in getting rid of pension schemes but not their own. In fact, some netizens insisted that they should sign up as an Employee Provident Fund (EPF) contributor.

Another said that if any group that deserves pensions, it should be those in uniform bodies who are overworked and underpaid while pointing out that healthcare and armed forces personnel undertake risky jobs for little reward.

Another netizen even put forward the suggestion to follow Singapore’s lead in abolishing pensions for MPs altogether.

Some also said their extravagant allowances should be curtailed. Let them fork out their own money to get to work just like ordinary citizens.

Some could not disguise their contempt at the amount of public funds that is spent on MP pensions, sarcastically saying that it could wipe out the national debt if it were abolished.

Some also highlighted how MP allowances are fat enough to sustain entire families, hence there is no need for any other incentives.

One netizen pointed to cautionary tales from abroad of how such pension schemes could have disastrous consequences.

One jokingly highlighted the need for punitive rules to deal with snoozing MPs.

In fact, almost all the comments were against any form of pension or for it to be severely restricted. Few agreed with the poster’s suggestion, reflecting public sentiment.

With many Malaysians grappling with rising cost-of-living issues, cries to further reward these “public servants” have not gone down well, regardless of the provisos attached.

The sheer number of ‘nays’ to the suggestion perhaps best reflect the current mood of MPs being an undeserving bunch.

One comment encapsulates the mood perfectly stating what many probably feel - there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to give these group a pension of any sort. - June 20, 2024

https://focusmalaysia.my/should-mps-pension-be-scrapped-in-favour-of-epf-contributions-to-trim-malaysias-colossal-debt-level/