COMMENT | Money for nothing - not quite the right directors
You play the guitar on the MTV,
That ain't workin', that's the way you do it,
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free,
Now that ain't workin', that's the way you do it,
Lemme tell ya, them guys ain't dumb.
- Lyrics from a Dire Strait’s song
COMMENT | Every day, millions of Malaysians go out to earn money. Many get barely enough money to put food on the table for their families, while others get more than what is required and have more than just spare change after indulging in luxury comforts and leading a life of extravagance.
The picture of retired inspector general of police Hamid Bador selling vegetables from his farm went viral on Monday, and netizens took to social media to appreciate what he was doing.
But what startled Malaysians was the revelation that the RM30,000 paid to the former chief secretary to the government (KSN) Mohd Sidek Hassan (above) to compensate for his “adequately low pay”.
He told the High Court: “In all honesty, I thought the prime minister at the time offered it (as the advisory board of 1MDB) because of my salary (as then KSN).
Mohd Sidek said the then PM Najib Abdul Razak...
Now look at them yo-yos, that's the way you do it,
You play the guitar on the MTV,
That ain't workin', that's the way you do it,
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free,
Now that ain't workin', that's the way you do it,
Lemme tell ya, them guys ain't dumb.
- Lyrics from a Dire Strait’s song
COMMENT | Every day, millions of Malaysians go out to earn money. Many get barely enough money to put food on the table for their families, while others get more than what is required and have more than just spare change after indulging in luxury comforts and leading a life of extravagance.
The picture of retired inspector general of police Hamid Bador selling vegetables from his farm went viral on Monday, and netizens took to social media to appreciate what he was doing.
But what startled Malaysians was the revelation that the RM30,000 paid to the former chief secretary to the government (KSN) Mohd Sidek Hassan (above) to compensate for his “adequately low pay”.
He told the High Court: “In all honesty, I thought the prime minister at the time offered it (as the advisory board of 1MDB) because of my salary (as then KSN).
Mohd Sidek said the then PM Najib Abdul Razak thought that his salary was a bit too low for the responsibilities.
“So (it was done) from the goodness of his heart - I thought that was the reason (for my appointment).
“This was just a vehicle to compensate for that low salary, not because I was KSN,” Mohd Sidek said while being cross-examined.
But what back-breaking job did he have to do for the big bucks?
He had earlier told the court that since his appointment, he was never involved in any meetings or discussions on the company’s issues and had never been invited to attend 1MDB’s annual meetings.
One newspaper headlined the reportage on the front page with the heading “Money for nothing”.
Damning indictment
In his book, “Capturing Hope: The Struggle Continues for a New Malaysia”, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed said former treasury secretary-general Irwan Serigar Abdullah had drawn a huge income through the chairmanship of several government companies.
“In total, he was being paid as much as RM200,000 a month – that’s RM2.4 million a year and far above normal government pay,” he wrote.
This is the Malaysian malaise. Not only are top civil servants getting supplementary incomes from GLCs and statutory bodies, but also members of Parliament.
In 2012, the then chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Azmi Khalid, made a damning indictment on government officials appointed to the boards of companies.
Addressing shortcomings in the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), the PAC outlined a number of weaknesses in the standard operating procedures applied by the Finance Ministry and the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry, whose representatives sit on the NFCorp board to “protect” the government’s interests.
In the aftermath, I wrote: “I don’t mean to look down on any profession, but when you appoint someone who is more apt at driving a forklift or a teacher whose competency is in the area of teaching geography than knowing about ports and operations involving millions of ringgit, naturally, one can expect disaster. In many cases, such posts are linked to political association and patronage – not competency or ability.
“Dissecting and deciphering Azmi’s frank yet courteous remarks was not a difficult task. It is not the first time that government-appointed directors were “sleeping on the job” and it won’t be the last until and unless the government insists on being open and accountable to the people.”
But did anyone bother? After the Sheraton Move, in an unverified audio recording – purportedly from the Bersatu supreme council meeting on Feb 23, 2020 – a man whose voice resembled that of Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin was heard saying that Umno MPs could be enticed to join Bersatu if they are offered ministerships or GLC posts.
“If they know a new government is being formed, with UMNO in, ‘Why don’t you (Umno MPs) join in now, rather than you join later’?
“I think if we did that, a majority would leave Umno (with just) 10-20 (MPs), with just Najib (Abdul Razak) and his people (left behind) … especially if there are positions. If not a minister, then chairperson of a GLC,” the man in the recording said.
Is it fair for taxpayers?
The result is that many sitting MPs are reaping the rewards by drawing hefty allowances from GLCs. There is also a staff in the Prime Minister’s Office drawing a five-figure salary as the deputy chairperson of a statutory board.
Elsewhere, government officials, as Azmi pointed out, sit on all statutory bodies representing their respective ministry’s interests. This is nothing unusual because when it comes to policies and government directives, they are there to explain and assist.
As sitting board members, they sit during office time. Is it fair for the taxpayer to pay him extra when attending these meetings? What extra expertise do they bring to the table?
The problem appears to be that there is no fixed rate of allowances. Each GLC or statutory body pays different rates, and some even throw in an additional incentive – a tailored tuxedo. Some board members are occasionally sent on overseas junkets, especially when crucial decisions are scheduled to be made.
Has the time come for the Treasury to regulate or fix a ceiling on allowances instead of allowing board members to dictate what they should receive?
Author’s note: Serving as a member of the Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, all members, including this writer, were paid an allowance of RM300 each month for our time and expertise.
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist and writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
