PAS' Salor assemblyperson Husam Musa today slammed the allowance hike for Kelantan elected representatives and administration, when victims from last year's devastating floods are still suffering.

The state assembly on Monday passed an amendment to raise allowance for assemblypersons from RM8,000, from RM4,600 a month, starting next year.

The MB, deputy MB, speaker and deputy speaker, the state exco, deputy exco went up by RM6,000 to RM10,000 a month, starting next year.

Husam said the allowance hike is in bad taste considering that the government still owes teachers under state managed Yayasan Islam Kelantan a total RM14.6 million.

This is the form of Employee Provident Fund contributions and other cuts made to the teachers' salaries for contributions including to pilgrimage fund Tabung Haji.

As such, he urged the government to take a back step, and try the salvage the situation before the first disbursement of the new allowance next year.

"Putting the people's feelings first, perhaps what we can do now is to immediately pay what is owed (to the teachers) before paying the new allowance to the reps, exco and MB next January. If not, the YIK teachers will be hurt.

"The Ladang Rakyat smallholders should also be paid a full 12 months' dividend, and not ten months as proposed.

"And what about the homes swept away in the floods? Won't the people feel slighted that they have waited months for new homes and yet, it is the reps who are enjoying a pay hike?" he asked Husam asked in a scathing statement today.

Shy to meet electorate after pay hike

The Kelantan government earlier admitted that it owes YIK staff, but explains that this is because it faced shortages after a cheating case.

The government said it was expecting RM10 million in earnings through a private investment in the firm, but this was not forthcoming.

The court ruled in favour of YIK in the dispute, and the foundation is waiting for the firm to pay damages of RM6.5 million, the state earlier explained.

The state also blamed flood victims for delaying assistance, by refusing to relocate to new areas where permanent homes are to be built.

The federal government said new homes will be ready by June next year, 18 months after flood waters inundated the east coast state.

Husam, who did not attend assembly sitting when the pay hike was passed, said he understands that cost of living and providing service to the electorate is on the rise.

And yet, one cannot help but feel "shy" when facing the electorate after the pay hike because things are getting harder for the people.

"I am confident the Kelantan government can do what I have proposed. Otherwise, it will be difficult to fix the state's image," he said.