PASIR MAS: There is a possibility that Members of Parliament (MPs) from the opposition camp have fallen into the bottom 40 (B40) income group due to the lack of allocations, says Ahmad Fadhli Shaari.
The Pas information chief said while the party had not conducted any formal research on the matter, it was conceivable that its MPs faced financial strain as they often had to personally fund constituency expenses.
"We also know that the government MPs receive an annual allocation of RM3.8 million, whereas opposition MPs receive nothing.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday said some members of parliament had voiced their objections against the targeted subsidies and pension scheme restructuring.
Slamming those who questioned the government's move to rationalise subsidies, he said, some of them even unabashedly admitted that they were from the B40 income group when they earned tens of thousands of ringgit.
The Economy Ministry recently said that it would present a revised targeted subsidy plan to the cabinet some time this month.
Anwar had also said in January that a review on the pension scheme would also apply to politicians.
However, the proposed pension restructuring drew mixed reactions from many, including elected representatives.