VIDEO l 2:18 min

By convention, backbenchers do not oppose Bills presented to the legislature by the government, Batu Caves assemblyperson Amirudin Shari said today.

Amirudin said this in defending Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyperson Azmin Ali, arguing that Azmin did not oppose the Selangor lawmakers pay hike Bill in the state assembly, but only criticised the high amount at a press conference outside the House.

pkr weeklly pc 090807 amirudin shari Earlier today, state executive councillor Teng Chang Kim argued that Azmin should not have criticised the Bill outside the state assembly, but should have spoken out in the assembly itself.

But Amirudin ( left ), a member of the Backbenchers Club (BBC), which is chaired by Azmin, claimed it is "not a Commonwealth practice of government-supporting backbenchers to oppose a government Bill".

He added in a statement: "I stress here that the role of the BBC in the state assembly is to support the government's motion.

"However, the motion must be discussed first and debated in a pre-council meeting in order to get the approval of the BBC, as is the practice in Commonwealth countries."

'BBC wants communication with the gov't'

He said that it was not fair of Teng to release such a statement against Azmin as it "worsens the situation".

"All we want is for communication between the government and the BBC," Amirudin said.

Amirudin's statement reflects the increasing divide within PKR itself, among those who support the pay hike for the assemblypersons and those who and reject it.

NONE Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, who is PKR's strategy director, also opposed the hike, calling it a form of "anti-reform".

"We campaign on the platform of reform. The notion that politicians should be handsomely rewarded financially for doing a good job is anti-reform," Rafizi said in his Twitter account.

PKR central leadership council member Latheefa Koya ( above ) also disagreed with the salary increase on her Twitter account.

Latheefa said that instead of the hike, the state government should have considered "proper" salaries for its elected representatives, as they are currently paid "a miserable allowance".