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THE Barisan Nasional Member of Parliament for Sri Gading Mohamed Aziz's proposal in Parliament for the government to increase the allowance of MPs to RM18,000 per month is, to say the least, outrageous.

With all the prices increases for foodstuff, petrol, toll, taxi and bus fares plus the decline in the quality of living, it is callous on the part of a member of parliament to ask for an increase in allowance.

Doesn't Aziz understand that the position of member of parliament comes with certain responsibilities and that sacrifices have to be made on their part? If the member of parliament is so hard up despite his parliamentary remuneration, then maybe it is about time he looks to other vocation to earn his keep.

It seems to be a paradox that comes every general election, all the BN members will lobby their respective leaders to elected to stand for state or federal seats. And after winning the seats, they will again lobby hard to be appointed to the state excos or federal posts. This for the perks that come with such offices.

They really don't complain when they get to go on junket trips disguised as ' belajar sambil melawat ' or when they get to claim for mileage and other expenses when they attend parliamentary sittings to debate on the grouses of the common people.

Anyway, Aziz's argument that it cost money to visit constituents and to attend related public or private functions doesn't hold water as it is an open secret that BN member of parliaments are given a big allocation with regards to expenses involving their constituents.

Opposition members of parliament don't get any allocations at all. At the end of the day, MPs should understand that it is the public's money that pays their bills. And since everybody pays taxes, including those in the opposition, this allocation should be spread around for everybody including opposition MPs.

Parliament is the place where you should fight for the rights of the ordinary people. It is not the place to fight for self-interests. How one wishes that our BN member of parliaments can be the 'devil's advocates' and grill the ministers and senior public servants on irregularities in public projects.

It would seems that the prime minister's call to BN MPs to work hard for the people has fallen on deaf ears. At the rate they are going, the opposition parties doesn't have to do much to win votes in the coming polls.

The BN MPs seem to be fighting for a piece of the economic pie just to line their own pockets. If this continues, BN will be self-destruct due to its own greed for power and wealth

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