PAS likes to bring down successful Muslims, says MP

Aidila Razak

PAS was today accused of attacking “successful Malays and Muslims” after its MPs questioned the high wages and bonuses reaped by chief executive officers (CEOs) and senior management in government-linked companies (GLCs).

In particular, Mohamad Aziz (BN-Sri Gading) was sore with PAS MPs Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) and Dzulkefly Ahmad (PAS-Kuala Selangor) for questioning the remuneration package enjoyed by Tabung Haji CEO Ismee Ismail.

“(Ismee) is Malay, Muslim. It is as if PAS is targeting him simply because he is Muslim. That’s enough. Be thankful to Tabung Haji and thank God that Muslims from Malaysia can perform the haj well because of Tabung Haji’s work.

“You keep deriding Muslims, even in your doa (prayer) you are asking for bad things. Why is that they will slam Muslims who are successful?
“Is this what PAS does? Assume the best. We are all Muslims,” Mohamad (right) said during the committee level debate on the Human Resources Ministry budget allocation.

He added that the Tabung Haji CEO deserves the rewards as he oversees many different subsidiaries, from plantations to pilgrimages.
He also asked why PAS had not questioned the salaries of the other GLC CEOs.

Mahfuz had during the second reading budget debates revealed that Ismee receives RM85,000 a month.
Meanwhile, Dzulkefly today questioned why Sime Darby CEO Mohd Bakke Salleh received RM5.2 million in remuneration for the financial year 2011/2012.
The Malaysian Reserve reported that Sime Darby had paid 12 to 14 months' bonus to its plantation managers and senior staff, much to the ire of the plantation unions.

It's about an equitable pay scale
Giving Mohamad his 'congratulations' for the retort, Dzulkefly said that if the Tabung Haji CEO deserved such a remuneration package, then the rest of the staff shouldalso be equitably rewarded.

“This is what causes inequality of income... it is about a fair labour policy that can distribute the nation's wealth, and not just to CEOs and chief financial officers,” he said.

Dzulkefly said data from the Department of Statistics showed that while the per capita gross national income was RM23,700 a month as at 2009, the average household income is about half of that, at RM11,208 a year.

“(The ministry) talks about per capita gross national income, but then you have the household income which shows the suffering of the working class, be it in the public or private sector,” he added.