Mp Institute No Gift Policy For Ex Pms

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PARLIAMENT | Putrajaya has been urged to cease its long-standing practice of providing "gifts" to former prime ministers.
During the debate on Budget 2022 today, Mahfuz Omar (Harapan-Pokok Sena) said a prime minister only required perks when holding the position and a pension upon retirement would suffice.
"This term alone, we've had three prime ministers. Are we going to give them all RM100 million each?" asked Mahfuz.
Putrajaya did not promise RM100 million for a prime minister. However, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's cabinet had agreed in principle to a request by former premier Najib Abdul Razak (BN-Pekan) for a property in Kuala Lumpur, reportedly worth RM100 million.
Last week, Najib claimed he had "rejected" Putrajaya's offer for the property.
Nevertheless, Mahfuz said another issue was whether it was wise for the cabinet to make such a decision.
"What was the basis of their assessment? Are they experts in evaluating qualifications for gifts and contributions?
"To me, a soldier who served for 20 years has contributed a lot to the country, but they only receive a small pension compared to a former prime minister.
"I demand an explanation why the cabinet had approved of this 'RM100 million' gift when Putrajaya only allocates RM1.4 million for (religious schools such as) tahfiz, sekolah agama rakyat and sekolah pondok. What crossed their minds? That is the question," he added.

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz
Last week saw the opposition haranguing Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz over the "gift" to which the latter said the appropriate authority to address this ought to be the Prime Minister's Department.
However, Tengku Zafrul said in passing that the "gift" did not appear in the Federal Expenditure Estimate 2022 because the application was only submitted after the Budget 2022 speech was presented.
He added that this expense would appear in a supplementary supply bill. - Mkini

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